War of Extinction
by HaywireFreaknik
Summary: Shepard was just a soldier. A soldier thrown into a galaxy wide war of extinction. How would he take this? Tali/Shepard romance. trilogy spanning story . Rated M for the Adult themes later on. Lots of canon, but at the same time, lots of non-canon. ME1 arc in progress.
1. Author Note

**Author Note:**

**Decided to put an entire page aside for this Author Note. Basically I am going to give an overview of what I plan to do here. **

**This story I will try to integrate canon and non-canon together to flow smoothly, Add lines not in the story, etc.**

**This is a Tali/Shep Romance eventuality. It will begin in ME1, none of that 'hiding our feelings' shit.**

**Shepard is going to have a dual background. Still trying to work out how I will integrate it smoothly, but basically, He will be Sole Survivor, and War Hero. I plan to make it look like Akuze was the beginning of his career in the Navy, and Elysium was somewhere in the middle between Akuze and Eden Prime.**

**Shepard's upbringing is a mixture of Colonist and Spacer. His mom is Alliance Navy, and he grew up on Mindoir with a father and sister. **

**I'll be trying this in Third Person Omniscient POV. Pretty sure that's the one where everyone's thoughts are spoken, and first person is never used. **

**This is my first fanfiction ever, so all reviews are welcome.**

**Please do read. I would appreciate any and all feedback, and I hope this story is to your liking. **

**I MADE A POLL CAUSE I CAN'T DECIDE WHAT SHEPARD'S FIRST NAME SHOULD BE! GO PICK! YOU CAN CHOOSE TWO NAMES. PLS HALP ME**

**=]**


	2. Chapter 1: Rough Beginnings

**A/N**

**Hi Guys/Girls/Horses! This is my first fanfiction EVER so please review, comment, rate, whatever you guys do with these stories. All feedback is welcome, especially since this is my first time doing this and I plan for it to be a trilogy- spanning story. I know, I know, a monumental undertaking, especially for a newbie. But don't worry I had Liara help me with writing long winded papers, and took some filler techniques from her reports on Prothean schtuff, so expect very long chapters. Sorry if you don't like it like that, but sorry, once I start typing it's hard to stop.**

**PLEASE! REVIEW! PM ME YOUR OPINIONS, FEEDBACK, TIPS, ETC.**

**DO IT OR WREX WILL EAT YOUR BABIES!**

**Double A/N**

**Decided to revise a little of it after someone gave me a thorough review.**

**Triple A/N**

**Ok i revised a lot more than i thought. Hopefully the message still get's across.**

**Quad A/N **

**I MADE A POLL CAUSE I CAN'T DECIDE WHAT SHEPARD'S FIRST NAME SHOULD BE! GO PICK! YOU CAN CHOOSE TWO NAMES. PLS HALP ME**

* * *

_Chapter 1: Rough Beginnings  
_

Shepard walked down the hallway to the launch bay. He was deep in thought. This would be his first actual mission, and he wanted everything to go right, so he went over the plan formulated by Staff Lieutenant James Briggs. They were here to investigate a colony on Akuze that had gone dark. They would search the colony for any sign of conflict, and search for any residents. They would not act hostile towards contact, but safeties were to be off in case everything went to shit. If there were no inhabitants, they were expected to find out what happened.

"Shepard! Move your ass Corporal, before I leave you here and make you do laps around the cargo bay!"

Shepard looked up, fear in his eyes, as he realized he had stopped walking and was just standing there. However, his fear quickly dissipated, as it was not Staff Lieutenant Briggs, but his best friend, Corporal Thomas Toombs. Shepard breathed a sigh of relief, but made sure Toombs didn't see it. Immediately, a retort sprung to his lips.

"Watch yourself, Toombs. Talk to me like that and I'll have you kitchen duty for a month."

Toombs laughed. "hah, come on Shepard, you wouldn't do that to your best friend would you?" A shit-eating grin split onto his face.

Shepard tried to stay mad at his friend, but he just couldn't do it. He stared at Toombs for a few more seconds, and broke out laughing.

"Ah, man. You're lucky I like you Toombs." He patted his friend on the back, albeit a bit roughly. Toombs staggered, and nearly fell over, but he put a hand on the nearby wall and steadied himself before he did.

"Jesus Christ, Shepard. You have the strength of a goddamn elephant. You think you could not break my spine next time?"

Shepard grinned. "What? It wasn't even that hard man! You're just being a little wimp about it." Shepard smacked his back even harder.

This time, Toombs did fall down, but quickly stood up, trying to retain his dignity at the same time. Shepard nearly lost it as his best friend tried to recover without losing face. He offered a hand out, and pulled him up. Toombs glared at Shepard for a second, and then chuckled. They both started off down the hallway again, and no words were spoken. None needed to be. They were buddies, and they have been through it all since basic training. Shepard glanced over at his buddy, and smirked. He didn't know what he would have done if he hadn't met Toombs at basic.

* * *

Shepard was crushed and defeated. The mission to Akuze had been a disaster. Everyone there died to a thresher maw attack. Not just one thresher maw, but three. He remembered it all so vividly. Everyone was dead, including Toombs. Shepard felt tears stream unbidden down his face. He didn't brush them off. He let them flow, and choked out sob thinking about his friend. He would never see his face again.

He was currently on Arcturus Station, Home to the Alliance Parliament and chief staging area for Alliance ships. He had just been debriefed about the mission to Akuze, and was assigned to see a psychiatrist to see how he was coping with it. His first appointment would be tomorrow morning at 0800. But for now, he had nothing to do besides wallow in misery. As he walked down corridors and hallways, he eventually found his way to a food court of sorts, and immediately went to a bar. He pulled up a stool and sat down, arms of the counter, and head hanging low.

The bartender walked over. "What can I get you, son?"

Shepard didn't bother looking up. His voice dripped with sorrow, and was shaky as he spoke.

"whiskey, strongest you got."

The bartender nodded, and walked off to get Shepard his drink. When he returned, he downed it in one go, and held the glass up for the bartender and said one word. "More."

The bartender complied, and this pattern repeated several more times. On his fifth shot, he stopped. His glass was full, but he didn't drink it. Instead, he sat there, and mourned for his friend. Footsteps could be heard behind him, and someone sat next to him, no his left. He glanced up, and back to the glass, only to open his eyes wide, and immediately back to the man on his left. The man of his left was an Alliance Captain!

Immediately, Shepard stood, knocking over the stool, and nearly spilling his glass. He stood to attention, and looked straight ahead and barked out, "Sir!"

The Captain chuckled, and waved for him to stand at ease. As Shepard complied, he spoke up.

"Sit with me, son. This is strictly off the record, so no need to be formal with me. The name is Anderson, David Anderson. "Anderson chuckled again.

Unsure of himself, Shepard righted his stool and sat down again, albeit somewhat hesitantly. _What could an Alliance captain want with me? And why would this be off the record?_ Shepard wondered. Shepard took the drink in hand again, and downed it, but in two takes this time. Anderson himself only ordered a glass of water, and together they both sat in silence, neither saying anything.

As they passed the third minute of their silence, Anderson spoke up.

"I heard what happened on Akuze. Came to see how you were holding up."

Shepard was unsure of how to reply. "Sir?"

"You know what I'm asking you Shepard. You just went through hell down there. There is no way in hell you are completely fine."

Shepard couldn't find a way to respond. _Should I tell him? Wait. Why would i tell him? hes Alliance brass, he has no reason to care about just one marine, does he? I'm just a grunt. Maybe he is evaluating me... God i can't think straight this whiskey is taking its toll...  
_

"Honestly sir, not well. Lost a lot of good people down there." Shepard mumbled. _where did that come from? Well i guess I'm telling him now._

"Hmm. Drop the sir Shepard. Remember, I'm not talking to you here as a Captain, but as a friend. Just call me Anderson."

"Okay si-, I mean Anderson." Shepard corrected. A few more seconds passed between them, before Shepard spoke up again.

"It's all my fault."

Anderson looked over to his companion, and raised an eyebrow.

"So it was you who unleashed those thresher maws? It was you to led them to the colony and you who commanded them to kill your entire unit?"

"What!? No! I didn't do that!" Shepard was indignant. How could he say that? he was mourning them! ALL of them. but some more than others.

"Then I don't see how this is your fault."

Shepard stared at the glass in his hand. "I should have known." Shepard practically spat out the words.

Anderson shook his head. "Son, how in the hell could you have known there was a thresher maw there, let alone three?"

"I don't know! I could have prevented it! I could have saved them! I only survived because I ran while they ate all my unit! I'm no hero for surviving. I'm just a coward. I lost my best damn friend today to an overgrown worm. and i could have saved him." Shepard spoke bitterly, and tears coursed down his face.

Anderson fixed his eyes of Shepard again, and spoke with compassion and sympathy.

"Listen to me Shepard. There was nothing you could have done to save them, and you know it. Those were thresher maws. Hardly anyone survives encounters with those beasts, plus there were three! The fact that you survived an attack from THREE thresher maws shows you have something. You have the will to survive! You showed considerable fortitude in being able to survive, and besides, drowning yourself in liquor isn't going to bring them back. What you need to do is get back out there and fight in their memory. Don't mourn them by drinking, but honor them by fighting, and saving lives."

As Anderson finished, he laid a hand on Shepard's shoulder, and gave it a soft squeeze. Shepard hadn't realized this, but his body was actually tensed up. As Anderson comforted him, he felt himself loosen up, and relax.

Minutes passed until Shepard spoke again.

"Your right, Anderson. I couldn't have saved them. Doesn't make me feel better, but your right. I just don't know what I'm going to do now." Shepard sighed and took a sip of his whiskey.

Anderson eyes narrowed, and he spoke. "Sure you do. You're going to get back out there, and fight to honor the memory of your friends. Don't let their sacrifice drag you down. Let it strengthen you."

Shepard was still in a down mood, but maybe not as low as he had been 15 minutes ago.

Shepard stood up, and turned to Anderson. A small smile split Shepard's lips, and he realized this is the first time he had laid eyes on Anderson. He was handsome, but he wasn't horrifically ugly either. His eyes were filled with sympathy and concern, and he had a small smile on his face. He had dark skin, and you could see age was beginning to take its toll on him. As he 'reviewed' Anderson, he realized that his voice was very father-like. Caring, but not without authority. Shepard knew he could respect a man like Anderson, and would follow his orders without question. Once Shepard was done analyzing, he realized Anderson was looking up at him expectantly. Shepard spoke again.

"Thank you sir, for coming down to talk to me. It helped a lot, and I feel much better than I did 15 minutes ago."

Anderson's face split as a sincere smile graced it, and he stood up himself. He stuck out a hand for Shepard, and Shepard eagerly took it up, He noticed that the man was not without strength, but also not without compassion as well. Shepard definitely approved of Anderson.

"It was my pleasure, Shepard. You needed someone to talk to, and I was happy to help. So what are your plans now? I assume you were given leave?"

"Yes, I was given a month of shore leave to relax, but also I was to visit a psychiatrist to check up on me." Shepard sighed. He knew he would hate those meetings. He knew they wouldn't help in the least.

"Sounds like you don't want that though." Anderson replied. Shepard shook his head in affirmation.

"Yeah I would much rather be out there fighting again, instead of sitting down and talking to someone."

Anderson chuckled. "Don't we all? But you know that after Akuze, you need a psychological evaluation. One where you are sober enough."

Shepard sighed. He REALLY didn't want a psych eval. But he knew he had to do it if he were going to be able to get back out into the fight again.

"Alright," Shepard replied. " I'll go see him tomorrow morning."

"Good. Now for some better news. Once you get properly evaluated, I'll get you transferred under my command, and I'll turn you into the galaxies best soldier." Anderson had a grin on his face as he spoke. As he finished he put his hands behind his back in parade rest position.

Shepard nodded. "I would be honored to join your crew, Captain."

"Excellent. Maybe while we work together, we can get you to loosen up and not be so stiff, heh."

Shepard just nodded dumbly, becoming more and more intoxicated from the whiskey. As Shepard was standing, the ground began to spin around him, and Anderson had to catch him before he fell. As Anderson held him up by his arm, Shepard's brain was in two places. The rational part of his brain was saying he's making a fool of himself. The drunk part was saying he wanted to pass out on the floor. As Anderson helped him up, he heard him speak, but didn't know what he said.

"Sir?"

"I said, where is your designated room?"

"Oh. Room 145."

"Good. Let's get going then."

Anderson supported Shepard by laying his arm across his shoulders, and proceeded to slowly walk to where his cabin was situated. As they slowly progressed, no words were spoken, probably because Shepard was close to passing out, and Anderson was probably thinking, he didn't know. he was too smashed to think straightly. _Wow i feel like shit. I really drank way too much. I hope i don't puke on Anderson's uniform. It looks nice. Wish i had one. hmm. What was i thinking about? _

10 minutes later, they arrived outside his door, and Anderson hit the panel and it opened up. As Anderson led Shepard to his mattress, He started mentally planning on how to integrate Shepard into his crew. Would he be just another marine in the detachment, or more? The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Shepard could one day be a great Captain. He just needed some motivation and help. Help Anderson was all to willing to provide. As he helped Shepard down into the bed, He glanced down at Shepard. Even in his intoxicated state, he still managed to get into a proper sleeping position, not one where a regular drunk would be in, half out the bed. Yes, this man could definitely be a leader. And Anderson would get him there. But for now, he would start out at the bottom, and work his way up.

Shepard muttered something, something Anderson didn't catch.

he leaned down closer to Shepard. "What was that, son?" He spoke softly as to not disturb Shepard too much.

"I'm sorry Thomas... I tried." The words were barely inaudible, But he caught them this time. Before Anderson could question him, quiet snores were heard. Anderson righted himself and turned to leave. He pondered who 'Thomas' could be. He pushed the thought out, knowing he would find out later. For now, their were other matters to attend.

* * *

**A/N **

**Phew. That was a pretty long-winded chapter, especially since this was sort of supposed to be a prologue of sorts. Anyways, friendly reminder, REVIEW OR I WILL FEED WREX YOUR SOUL! **

**JK.**

**But seriously. Please review. And wish me good luck and good fortune in writing this story.**


	3. Chapter 2: Eden Prime pt 1

**A/N **

**I think I need to explain this out. Shepard, at the start of Eden Prime, is 29. **

**Akuze, is when he was 21. **

**Elysium is when he was 25. **

**Now that that is out of the way, the beginning of this chapter is Shepard reminiscing his journey up to the XO of the Normandy, So you will learn about when he started N7 training and how he became the Lion of Elysium. Going through this entire ordeal could quite possibly take up the entirety of this chapter, but I will make sure the next chapter starts out when they set foot on Eden Prime.**

**A/N 2 **

**Made a revisal so that Shepard keeps the blade, sort of as a remembrance of Elysium.**

**A/N 3**

**I MADE A POLL CAUSE I CAN'T DECIDE WHAT SHEPARD'S FIRST NAME SHOULD BE! GO PICK! YOU CAN CHOOSE TWO NAMES. PLS HALP ME**

* * *

_Chapter 2: Eden Prime pt.1_

Shepard was in the cargo bay of the _SSV Normandy SR-1,_ the most advanced Alliance frigate in the galaxy. Equipped with a massive Tantalus Drive core, this ship would be first Alliance vessel equipped with heat sink emissions, basically rendering the ship invisible on scanners. This sleek vehicle would be used for stealth and reconnaissance, and HE was the XO.

Shepard was currently poring over a weapons bench, giving his weapons a new shine, and checking their parts to make sure everything was right. As he pored over his M-7 Lancer, he thought back to that fateful night aboard Arcturus Station, where he first met his father figure, David Anderson. He smirked as he thought about the man. Anderson had turned his life around. Ever since he signed up with Anderson, he became more and more at ease with himself, and handled himself with authority, but also with humor. Since Akuze, Shepard learned a lot from Anderson.

He learned that leading a crew was by no means an easy task. The crew needs someone they look up to, but not someone they can't talk to. Shepard had first been confused at this sentiment. Wouldn't being the Captain be reason enough? Of course, when he first saw Anderson leading the crew, giving them speeches, and offering words of encouragement, he saw the benefits of this sentimentality. The marines were more willing to go on missions deemed dangerous if someone openly spoke out in favor.

Shepard quickly progressed through the marine detachment, eventually becoming Lieutenant Shepard, and leader of ground squad missions. Shepard was the happiest he had been since the Akuze incident. Then Elysium happened.

Shepard frowned at the thought of Elysium. He set aside his Lancer and picked up his Stilleto pistol. As he began adjusting the sight to line up correctly, he reviewed

the events at Elysium.

* * *

He was on leave. Anderson had given the crew a week of shore leave after their last mission, and Shepard had decided to spend it at Elysium with some other marines. 3 days into their shore leave, and 1 day before they would leave, the alarm that signified an attacking force blared throughout the city. Immediately, Shepard had ran to the Alliance outpost, to get himself some armor and a gun to see if he could help aid in the defense, and to see who was attacking. As he entered, he heard a communications officer say that communications with the three Alliance ships in patrol around the planets orbit, a cruiser, a dreadnought, and a frigate, had been cut off. The last transmission was a short video file of a massive array of pirate ships, ranging from freighters and fighters, to cruisers and frigates. The highest ranking officer, a Staff Lieutenant, rapped out orders for all those enlisted to form a perimeter around the city to withhold the pirate advancement.

As the Staff Lieutenant gave out orders, the communications officer observed a large portion of the pirate fleet detaching from the main body, heading straight for the city. Speaking up, the Staff Lieutenant immediately gave out new orders to get civilians into nearby buildings and set up defenses. Their main priority would be keeping these civilians alive and the pirates away from the center of town.

As they dispersed, the siren still ringing out, Shepard and his detachment broke out from the masses to head to the pirate staging area, to scope out the forces and delay them to give the other soldiers time to evacuate civilians and set up defenses. As they neared the edge of the city boundaries, they saw a massive freighter land, and literally hundreds of pirates poured out.

As Shepard looked down, he noticed that in his memory of Elysium, he had adjusted the sight too much, and was now off-center on the other side. He set to righting it again, his thoughts returning to Elysium.

As he saw the pirates run out, he saw one with four eyes, and Shepard glowered with hate. _Batarians._ He hated them. They were responsible for Mindoir! They were responsible for killing his mother and sister! Shepard was so angry, he forgot he was standing in their path to the town, and was nearly shot by the front men of the charging mass, before being dragged out from the open into a nearby barricade the marines had set up while Shepard seethed with hatred.

One of the marines, a Corporal, by the looks of his uniform, quickly looked at Shepard and practically shouted in his face.

"SIR! We need orders! If we don't get orders they are going to overrun us and kill every civilian here!"

This broke Shepard out of his stupor. Shepard's face transitioned from barely contained rage, to calm and tactful. He barked out orders.

"I want constant suppressive fire! No one gets passed us! We stay and we delay for as long as possible until Staff Lieutenant Wallace calls us back! Understood?"

"Sir Yes sir!" every marine around him saluted, while still crouched and dug down, and began to pour rounds into the charging mass. Almost instantaneously, the pirates charge faltered and they dove for any nearby cover, but there was none, as they were charging across and open field. Shepard and his unit wreaked havoc among the pirates, but not without consequences. Several marines had fallen to the return fire of the enemy, including the soldier who had shouted at him to get a grip. Shepard grunted. He would mourn the man later. Right now, the civilians of the city needed him.

Eventually the pirates neared the barricade, and more marines and pirates fell. But the masses were thinning. As Shepard fired at another pirate who was dangerously close to the makeshift barricade, he noticed this one had two eyes. It wasn't just a batarian raid, but humans were also here. This made him even angrier. How could these humans kill more of their own kind? Just to earn a little cash? It made him sick.

As he gunned down another human pirate, he saw a batarian pirate lob a grenade over the barricade, landing right at the feet of the the two marines to the right. Shepard dived left, escaping the grenade before it detonated. The two marines weren't as lucky. They were decimated by the grenade, their screams of pain drowned out the roar of gunfire and screaming pirates. It was only him now.

As Shepard stood back up, a batarian charged him, a wicked looking blade drawn. As the pirate lunged at Shepard, aiming for his stomach, Shepard deflected it and stepped forward, delivering a crushing left elbow, and reversed the knife back into the batarians throat. As the batarian gurgled out his last breath, Shepard withdrew the knife, and ran through the city, knowing he had held them off as long as he could. When he glanced back, several pirates were making room for others and some took some potshots at him, but none broke his shields.

* * *

Shepard's hand strayed down to his right thigh, where that very same blade was strapped at that moment. He didn't know why he kept the knife, But when the battle was over, he had noticed he still had it. He had shrugged it off, and kept it. Maybe it was to serve as a reminder of that fateful day on Elysium. His mood turned darker as his thoughts flew back to the memory.

* * *

After a few minutes of hard running, he ran into another marine, and quickly told him the situation.

"You! Marine! I need to see the Staff Lieutenant! The batarians have breached the eastern perimeter and are making their way here!"

The marine had a stricken look on his face.

"Sir, the Staff Lieutenant is down. The pirates had another landing party of the north side and he was taken down."

Shepard wasted no time. "Who's next in line to take charge?"

"That would be you Sir. As a Lieutenant, you take over command."

Shepard was silent for a moment, before barking out orders. The next few hours were long. Long and hard fought. But they prevailed, and communications were finally reestablished. The three Alliance vessels had sent the pirate fleet packing and the remaining pirates groundside retreated to their ships and left. All around him soldiers cheered. Shepard smiled briefly, and sat down, the toll of the battle settling in.

But Shepard wasn't done yet. He had to assess damages and count losses. He made his way to the city hall, where most of the civilians were evacuated. As he took count, he noticed a few of them holding rifles. He questioned one of them, and found out some civilians had actually taken up arms, and fought back. He nodded, and said they were extremely brave to take up arms. The man he questioned beamed with pride, and saluted him. As Shepard saluted back, many civilians started applauding. It was gradual at first, but every civilian present clapped along, and the applause was deafening.

Shepard was a little befuddled by this, and he saw a marine enter the building. He ran over and shouted over the noise.

"Why are all these people cheering and applauding? I know they're happy their alive, but this seems a bit excessive."

"They aren't clapping because their alive." The marine smiled. "Their clapping because everyone here knows you lead us to victory when we needed a leader the most."

The marine saluted, and walked off, leaving Shepard to the thundering noise of the town hall.

* * *

Shepard looked up from his Stiletto pistol, finally having adjusted it correctly. That day was the second most important day of his life. After Elysium, he was debriefed by the Alliance, and was immediately enrolled into the N7 program, the highest designated ranking possible for a soldier. He was given leave by Anderson to go through N7 training, and returned to Anderson a few months prior to the reveal of the _Normandy._ Shepard finally sighed, and put down his sidearm. He looked down at his omnitool and realized what time it was. His eyes widened, and he realized it was nearly time for them to make the jump through the mass relay. He stood up, and arched his back, getting a few satisfying pops, and sighing pleasurably. He went to the cargo bay elevator, and took it up to the CIC.

As he left the elevator, he cursed it for the third time. _Why is this damn elevator so slow? Jesus you would think the Alliance's most technologically advanced ship would have faster elevators._

As Shepard walked up the stairwell leading to the highest deck where the CIC and cockpit were, he immediately put on his Commander Shepard face. Stern, commanding, but still within reason.

He approached the cockpit, and saw the turian spectre. Nihlus, turn and leave. He still didn't know what to think of him. He really didn't have any grudge to harbor against turians. They have done anything specifically against him, so he didn't hate them. But still, Nihlus made him uneasy. As he approached the cockpit, he noticed there were two people there. Joker, the pilot, and Kaidan Alenko, an L2 biotic. _I wonder how being biotic works. Is it like the force from that cheesy old Star Wars movie? Or is it different? Huh I should probably listen; I think Joker is saying something._

"-hate that guy."

Kaidan snorted. "Nihlus gave you a compliment, so you hate him?"

"Remembering to zip up your jumpsuit after using the bathroom, that's good! I just hit a target the size of a pinpoint halfway across the galaxy! That's great!"

Joker continued. "Besides, everything about the guy rubs me wrong. Something is off about this mission."

Shepard decided it was time to make his presence known. He crossed his arms and spoke up.

"They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs."

They both turned to look at him, and returned to their monitors in a short span of a second.

"See? Exactly my point!"

Before Kaidan could respond, Anderson's voice could be heard through a speaker.

"Joker! How are we lookin?"

"Just made it past the relay Captain, everything is green up here. You might want to prepare yourself. I think Nihlus is heading your way."

Anderson's voice responded, albeit somewhat irritated.

"He's already here. Send the Commander down to the comm room."

Anderson disconnected. Shepard noticed the irritation in his voice, and decided to crack a joke at the wise-ass pilot.

"He sounded angry. What did you do this time, Joker?" Shepard joked.

"Hey I didn't do anythi-"He looked back at Shepard and saw his grin, and realized his leg was being pulled.

"Oh hardy hardy har, Commander. Y'know, you coulda been a great stand-up comedian." His voice was laced heavy with sarcasm.

Kaidan spoke up at this point.

" Y'know, he has a point. Everytime the captain speaks to you, he always leaves a little more angry."

Joker rolled his eyes and said, " Oh man not you too Kaidan. I thought you were my friend!"

Kaidan just shrugged and cracked a smile at him.

Shepard shook his head at these two. _I can't believe these two. 7 years ago this would shock me, but now, it's like it's almost normal for me._

"Alright, guys play nice now. I better head down to the comm room before Anderson chews me out."

Shepard turned to leave as he heard Joker say a quiet "See ya commander" and Kaidan's "Goodbye Sir."

As he walked past the CIC, he marveled at the technology. It truly was amazing. There was a full scale holographic image of the _Normandy,_ most likely to assess if there is any damage to the compartments. As he continued by, he overheard Navigator Pressly speaking with Chief Engineer Adams. As he approached, the Pressly heard him approaching, and quickly cut the call, and turned around to salute him.

"Sir."

"Pressly. Everything ok here?"

Pressly hesitated before speaking again.

"Uh yes sir, it's nothing to worry about. Don't worry it won't affect my work."

Shepard narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Are you sure Pressly?"

This time, Pressly's voice didn't hesitate, and was far stronger.

"Yes sir, absolutely positive."

Shepard stared at him a second longer, and finally nodded. "Alright then Pressly. I'll be heading out now, got a meeting with Anderson. Take care."

Pressly nodded. "Sir."

As he began walking down the short ramp to the comm room, a young voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Commander Shepard! Sir! I was just going to ask if we were going to get into any combat situations anytime soon."

Shepard identified the voice before even seeing the young man. Corporal Jenkins walked up to Shepard and saluted, his face ablaze with eagerness. _Was I like this when I first started out? Nah no way. This kid has no idea what a real combat situation is like, where his life is truly at stake._

Before he could reply, he saw the ships medical doctor, Doctor Karin Chakwas, walk up behind him and speak.

"You shouldn't be so eager to fight, Jenkins. It usually involves me patching you up in the infirmary."

Shepard liked Chakwas. She was a kind woman, but not one without sternness, and had a wide knowledge different alien physiologies. He definitely respected the woman, and clearly saw her as a mother figure.

"You should listen to the good doctor, Corporal Jenkins. Rushing for battle is an easy way for you to get killed."

"I know, but I really want to prove myself!" At this point he was practically jumping with energy. "You already proved yourself at Elysium. I want to get a chance like that and become a hero!"

Shepard mentally shook his head. _Elysium was no picnic, kid. Elysium was a lot of fear, a lot of determination, and a lot of blood._

"Elysium wasn't a playground, Corporal." Shepard's voice was hard, not because he wanted to cow the man, but because he wanted the message to be clear.

"Oh uh, Of- Of course, sir. I just meant…"

The Corporal kept stammering, and was visibly nervous. Dr. Chakwas, looked at Shepard, and shooker her head, giving him a clear message. He took it too far.

Shepard sighed, and stalled the Corporal's nervous speaking.

"Listen to me, Jenkins. You will get your chance to prove yourself, but that doesn't mean you need to rush off into battle. Let the battle come to you, and prepare accordingly. You'll make it. Trust me."

"Yes Sir!"

Shepard nodded. "Good. Now, I must take my leave, I need to speak with Anderson down in the comm room."

Shepard turned to leave, but not before receiving an approving nod from Chakwas. She left to go back to the medbay, and Jenkins ran down to the mess hall. When he entered the room, he was surprised that it was not Anderson, but Nihlus waiting for him.

Nihlus turned around at the sound of the door opening, and quickly walked over to him.

"Ah Shepard. Good I wanted to speak with you before Captain Anderson arrived."

Shepard's eyes narrowed. _What is this about? Is he going to try to subvert me? No there is no purpose for that. What's he playing at?_

Shepard decided to remain tactful, and replied, "About what sir?"

"This world were going to, Eden Prime. It has become somewhat of a symbol to your people. A paradise of sorts, yes?

_This conversation isn't looking good._

"So I've heard. Never been there myself. Sir."

"Hmm. Shepard, the galaxy is a dangerous place. Is humanity ready for this?"

Shepard nearly visibly gaped at this. But it made sense. _I can't believe he said that! The hubris in me wants to say yes and yell at him, but a part of me realizes he is right. We are newcomers to the galactic stage, and we could be potential targets to everyone out there._

Before Shepard could reply, a door opened and footsteps resounded through the room. Shepard turned around and saluted, knowing full well it was Anderson.

"Captain." Shepard spoke tersely.

"Shepard. Good. Nihlus, I believe it's time we tell Shepard why we are really here."

Nihlus nodded, and began talking.

"Shepard, this is more than a simple shakedown run. We are stopping here at Eden Prime to make a covert pickup."

Anderson interjects briefly. "That's why we needed the stealth systems active."

Nihlus crossed his arms behind him and continued. "Yes, precisely. An excavation team on Eden Prime unearthed a Prothean Beacon. We are here to pick it up and deliver it to the Citadel for further study."

Shepard was blown away by this news.

"Prothean? The alien race that disappeared 50,000 years ago?"

Anderson nodded and spoke up.

"Precisely, Commander. The last time we found something like this it jumped out technology forward nearly 200 years. Anything could be on that beacon. A new strain of medicine, or a blueprints for a weapon."

"This news obviously transcends just human's needs," Nihlus interrupts, "But the needs of all species."

Anderson spoke up. "But that's not all Commander. Nihlus is also here to evaluate you and see if you are good enough to join the Council Spectres."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at that. _A Council Spectre huh? First the Lion of Elysium, and now a council Spectre? Not bad Shep, not bad._

"Hmm. I would be the first human Spectre, right?"

Nihlus spoke. "Yes Commander. Your survival on Akuze," Shepard grimaced at that name. "And defense of Elysium against pirates shows you are a very clear candidate for the Spectres. However, I need to evaluate you myself. This is the first of several missions we will be attending together."

Before Shepard could reply, Joker could he hard over the intercom.

"Captain! Receiving a distress call from Eden Prime. Video feed is running."

"Bring it up on screen."

All three turned towards the large monitor, and watched the destruction of Eden Prime. The sky was dark, almost pitch black, and red lightning could be seen every now and then. The video feed was filmed from a soldiers helmet cam. He turned frantically around, before a soldier in white and pink armor ran up and pushed him further down into cover. Gunfire could be seen as he looked around, but the assailants could not be seen or identified. The rounds fired were unlike anything Shepard had seen, and he was pretty well versed in guns. As the video continued, the soldier looks over some cover, and a dreadnought ship came down from the sky. It was completely unknown to any in the room, and was massive in size. It was a shade of purple, and had 'legs', around 4 large ones, and a couple smaller ones. It was only seen briefly, before the soldier turned back around and was abruptly shot, ending the feed.

"Video feed cuts out after that. Communication blackout from Eden Prime. Total silence, sir."

"Rewind and pause at 38.5."

As the monitor backtracked, It paused right at the moment where the giant ship could be seen the clearest. Silence permeated the room, and nothing was said for a couple of seconds. Nihlus's mandibles could be seen twitching, and Anderson's face was grim. Shepard himself was inwardly, distraught. Outwardly, though, he knew what came next and steeled himself.

"This mission just got a whole lot more complicated. Shepard, tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up. You're in charge of the ground team."

Shepard saluted. "Yes Sir!"

He left the comm room with a lot of things on his mind. _What was that thing? Never seen anything like it. And a Council Spectre? Seriously? That's pretty fucking badass. But I can't break composure yet. Still need to prove myself worthy to be a Spectre. _

He quickly marched to the cockpit and told Alenko to suit up, and tell Jenkins the same. Kaidan nodded, and got up to leave, a couple steps behind Shepard. As soon as they suited up, they went down into the cargo bay, where Anderson was waiting for them along with Nihlus.

Alenko, Shepard, and Jenkins, in that order, lined up in front of Anderson to be debriefed about the mission.

"Alright. This mission was a simple pick-up, but now, Eden Prime is under attack. Your first priority is locating and securing that Prothean beacon. Survivors is secondary, but help them out if you can."

"approaching drop point number 1." Joker announced over the intercom.

As Nihlus walked towards the now open cargo bay door, Jenkins spoke up.

"Nihlus? You're coming with us too?"

Nihlus didn't speak. Instead, he began looking over his shotgun, making sure everything was set. Before he ran out he replied, "I work better alone.", And touched down onto Eden Prime.

"Nihlus will be running surveillance, scouting ahead, and monitoring your progess. He will update you with any key mission objectives."

Shepard and his Squad nodded affirmation.

Joker could be heard over the intercom again. "Approaching drop point number 2."

As they touched down, and Shepard and his squad, ran out, Anderson shouted,"Good luck Commander!" before returning to the cargo bay elevator.

They ran out onto Eden Prime soil, and turned to watch the _Normandy _leave. Shepard unpacked his rifle off his back, and motioned for Alenko and Jenkins to do the same. When they did, he proceeded to run along at a constant pace, heading for a clear cut path that lead to their objective, and hopefully, some answers.

* * *

**A/N **

**Oh my god. My fingers are burning, and my keyboard is covered with sweat. Eww , I know its gross. Anyways I hope you guys liked this chapter. Considerably longer than my "prologue" and leads up to their landing on Eden Prime. Hope you enjoy, as always review pls. **

**Or I will have Wrex stomp on your computer.**


	4. Chapter 3: Eden Prime pt 2

**A/N Yay Eden Prime! Yay fighting! yay!**

**So yeah This is basically the ground mission of Eden Prime. I put most of the stuff from the game in place, but some of it is also canon. I also cut out the conversation with the insane doctor, and the sane doctor. also, i omitted not to include the little side story with the colonists and the dockworker who had military grade grenades. Not really all too important in this story for me. **

**That being said, please enjoy! :)**

**A/N 2**

**I MADE A POLL CAUSE I CAN'T DECIDE WHAT SHEPARD'S FIRST NAME SHOULD BE! GO PICK! YOU CAN CHOOSE TWO NAMES. PLS HALP ME**

* * *

_Chapter 3: Eden Prime pt.2_

Shepard was stunned. The destruction on Eden Prime was tremendous. The sky was dark and forbidding, and lightning crackled overhead. In front of him was an extremely shallow body of water, barely 6 inches deep. There were floating creatures in front of him. They just kind of floated around, not paying attention to the trio. Alenko could be heard speaking.

"What are those things?"

Jenkins chuckled. "Don't worry sir, they are completely harmless. Their just gasbags."

"Cut the chatter fellas. We don't know what we are dealing with yet, so let's keep it down." Shepard spoke in a commanding tone, and both men quickly silenced. Shepard pointed with his head towards the path, and set off. The path was steadily increasing into a hill, and once they hit the peak, they saw a deep indent in the ground, over a long distance, about 30 meters. On the other side it rose up again, coming approximately the same height as the side they were on. In between their were rocks and stones sticking out of the ground, providing some meager cover.

Shepard had a terrible feeling. Something bad was going to happen. _This area is just begging for an ambush._ He motioned Jenkins over

"Jenkins, I want you to scout down to the bottom and tell me if you see anything. Something is wrong about this place." Shepard spoke quietly, feeling a little overwhelmed at the silence.

Jenkins nodded, and took off down the slope. Alenko and Shepard took position behind a few rocks, and went into overwatch. None of them could have foreseen what happened next. Jenkins hit the bottom of slope, standing in between the two inclines. Jenkins looked back up at Shepard and Alenko, giving the all clear hand signal. As he turned back towards the opposite hill, three drones breached the hill, and opened fire. Jenkins was gunned down, his cry of pain silenced by more rounds.

"Jenkins!" Shepard closed his eyes. _Fuck__ I knew it! _he reopened his eyes as fast as he had closed could mourn Jenkins later. For now, he could avenge him by slaying his quickly placed his rifle back onto its magnetized placeholder on his back and pulled out his sniper rifle. He opened fire on the drones, dropping them in the span of 4 seconds. Once downed, he waited for a few seconds, to make sure there were no reinforcements, and lowered his rifle. He glanced down at Alenko, and saw fear and helplessness in his eyes.

"Kaidan. Kaidan!" Shepard raised his voice loud enough to grab his attention. Kaidan looked at Shepard, those same expressions on his face.

"Commander… Jenkins… He was so young. This was to be his first ground mission." Kaidan's voice choked up, and his face stricken with grief.

Shepard glanced down the slope at the Corporal's body. He moved down the hill, coming level with Jenkins' corpse. His eyes were wide open, his face frozen in an expression of surprise. Shepard knelt down, and closed Jenkins's eyes. Footsteps crunched along the ground stopping next to him.

Shepard sighed. _Goddamnit. This is all my fault. I sent him to his death by ordering him down the hill. I should have waited few more seconds. Then those drones would have been gunned down first and Jenkins would have lived._

Shepard shook his head angrily, pushing the thought aside. He couldn't have known those drones were there. It wasn't his fault. He was acting the same way he had acted after Akuze. He stood up, and turned to Alenko behind him, fully in the 'Commander Shepard' zone.

"Come on, Staff Lieutenant. We have a mission to finish. We can grieve for Corporal Jenkins later, But now, we have a Prothean Beacon to recover."

Alenko was staring glassy-eyed at Jenkins, but was snapped out of his reverie hearing Shepard speak. Alenko stabilized his emotions, and nodded, heading back into military professionalism. _He's right. There will be time to grieve later._

Shepard and Alenko took off up the hill where bits and pieces of technology lay scattered around, the handiwork of Shepard's incredible marksmanship. Shepard glanced over the broken drones, inwardly satisfied by his shooting. _All offline. Good thing I chose Infiltrator. Dropped them all in as small amount of time as possible. Those training officers don't mess around. They made me into a pretty good shot. Of course I was already a good shot, but they… hmm improved me._

Shepard passed the remains, and saw the path again. He paced over to the path, Alenko following, until something caught his eye. He glanced left, and saw a small secluded area. He walked over, and Alenko paused. _Where is he going?_ After a moment of hesitation, he followed close by.

As Shepard entered, he saw something that made his stomach churn. They were remains. **Human **remains. _ My god. That's just sick. Who does something like this? _There were 3 bodies, each one burned and blackened to a crisp. What disgusted him the most, was the smallest corpse. _A Child! They murdered an innocent child! _The form was small. Smaller than it had been alive.

Alenko arrived behind him, and a quiet gasp escaped his lips. Shepard stood stockstill.

"This child. He couldn't have been more than 6, maybe 7. Who would do this?" Shepard's voice was laced with hate, hate for whoever or whatever committed this monstrosity. Alenko didn't know what to say. _Should I say something? I mean this is sick, but I would probably make it worse by speaking up._ So Alenko didn't say a word.

Shepard remained by the body for a few seconds longer. Finally, he took off back to where the path was.

"Let's go, Alenko. Time to find whoever did this and make them pay."

* * *

Shepard strided purposefully down the beaten path with Alenko a pace behind and to his right, SR and AR drawn, respectively. The path continued down until they came to a cliff, and the path veered to the right. Before he could adjust course, a whirring sound was heard. Shepard paused while the sound got louder and louder until two more drones popped out from the cliff face. Immediately Shepard and Alenko dove for cover, while mass accelerated rounds whizzed by them. As they found refuge from the fire, Shepard peeked around his cover, a large thick tree. He spotted the two drones, slowly strafing back and forth, alternating fire between him and Kaidan, who had taken cover behind some rocks.

Shepard started timing the intervals between the gunfire, and breathed out slowly. As soon as the rounds stopped pummeling into his cover, he leveled his rifle, scoped a drone out, and fired in the span of a second. The drone hit the earth without firing another bullet. As its companion fell, the other drone focused its attention on Shepard, rounds flowing out of its gun, before being pelleted by Alenko's AR. It dropped, but not before a few more stray rounds, none of which hit.

Shepard and Alenko withdrew from their cover, and once they checked up and made sure there were no injuries, moved forward down the path. The path lead them to yet another steep decline, this time into a flat area, where an ancient looking structure stood. _That must be where the beacon is. _Between them stood some angled rocks providing decent cover, and a much larger piece stationed in the middle ground, providing much more solid cover. A large cleft of rocks stuck out of the right side of the area, making somewhat of a chokepoint in the middle. As they observed, gunfire erupted from around that very area, and a figure sporting white and pink armor ran out, being chased by two drones. Alenko and Shepard both had similar thoughts. _A lone marine? A survivor no doubt._ As they watched, she slipped and fell, but not before drawing his pistol. As she hit the ground, she flipped herself over and fired. Once. Twice. Three times. The two drones popped, and gunfire dissipated. But the ceasefire didn't last long. Two other figures were spotted, unnoticed by all three people.

They were bipedal, but their bodies were… awkward. They weren't shaped like an organics. His sharp eyes saw they had three 'fingers', and their 'spine' were arched, like they were thrust up and forward, and their 'heads' were little more than large flashlights. _Synthetics__. Ugh. That explains the cold and callous execution of those people before._

He saw them place a corpse upon a platform, barely big enough to uphold a man's torso. As they settled the body in, a massive spike reached for the sky, tearing a huge hole into the man's torso. The two machines turned their attention to the lone marine, who sought out refuge behind the larger stone piece in the middle. They drew weapons and opened fire upon the soldier, suppressing her. Shepard leveled his rifle, and aimed at the machines 'head', and fired. The light was put out, and it dropped, completely inert. It's counterpart automatically turned to Shepard, and began firing. Unfortunately, he carried an AR equivalent weapon, and the bullets went astray. Shepard brought the other machine into scope, and fire clean through it's 'neck'. The flashlight went out, and it disconnected completely from the rest of its body.

* * *

The lone marine looked up the hill, and saw the two human marines, and breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank God. Finally, a friendly face. _She holstered her gun, and waved them over.

Shepard packed his rifle up, and Alenko mimicked an impressed look in his face. _This man was truly a force to be reckoned with. His accuracy is uncanny! _As they declined the slope, they met up with the lone marine, who quickly saluted.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, Sir! Thanks for saving my neck."

Shepard made a mental note. _Female huh? That would explain the color choice.  
_

"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko" He offered a hand out for Williams to shake, which she shook after a moment's hesitation. "Now,can you tell me what happened here?"

Ashley's brain did a full stop. _Commander Shepard? THE Commander Shepard? The Lion of Elysium? Sole Survivor of Akuze? My god I'm standing front of a legend! _She realized he had a hand held out, and she quickly, if a little awkwardly, shook his hand with a little more gusto than she expected. She stood in parade rest, and started retelling her side of the story.

"Well Commander, I was heading down to my bunk to get some shuteye, when a massive… _thing_ came out of the sky. These machines poured out of it, and started gunning down any and every one. The marine detachment here started out disorganized, and we got pinned down by them. I… I watched my whole squad die." Ashley's voice shook a little, reliving the memory that happened mere minutes ago. "I barely managed to escape, and I've been running ever since Commander. The machines… I think their geth sir."

Shepard was visibly stunned by this news. _Geth? What are geth doing here? They haven't been seen for centuries!_

"Geth, Willaims? Are you positive?" Kaidan's voice was laced with fear and apprehension again.

"Yes sir. Very positive."

Shepard shook his head. "This is very troubling. But first. There was a Prothean beacon that was recently excavated. Where is it?"

"Well it was in that structure over there," Williams pointed to the nearby building." But it's no longer there. The geth must have moved it. If I had to guess, it probably at the spaceport by now. Sir."

"Then there is no time to lose. Can you still fight? I assume you would like some revenge for your squad."

Ashley breathed out, "Hell yes sir."

Shepard nodded in confirmation. "Good. But listen up. I want no heroics. What I say in combat, goes. Understood, Gunnery Chief?"

She quickly saluted. "Yes Sir!"

"Then let's move out. Time's wasting."

* * *

Shepard walked up to the edge of the slope overlooking the spaceport. He took cover behind some rocks protruding out of the ground. He peeked over the rock and saw more spiked humans, and grimaced. _What a horrible fate. To have your body twisted and mutated into those 'husks'._ They had already encountered those electronic walking corpses. He was disgusted to say the least. Alenko had been surprisingly calm about it, and merely put on a stone face. Ashley was more visible, paling as she saw people she knew, or had known, turn into zombies. She had thrown up after their first encounter, spewing whatever she had for breakfast over the ground. Shepard and Alenko allowed her to recover, before moving out again.

But it wasn't all bad. They had met some survivors. Two civilians, one of which was a little loopy. But they had provided some more information. Apparently, another turian, like Nihlus, was here, and he was in command of these geth units. This frustrated him, but he pushed ever onward, intent on finding some answers instead of more questions.

Shepard scoured the battlefield once more, seeing at least 4 geth patrolling, and a couple of husks ready to be released. Shepard lowered himself behind his cover, and motioned Williams and Alenko over, a plan formulating in his mind. As they approached, he gave the hand signal for them to stay low, and started whispering out his plan.

"Ok, listen up. The spaceport is just up ahead, but there are geth and a few of those husk creatures. So here's what's going to happen. Williams, I want you guarding the left path leading down; make sure no one gets up. Alenko, I want you on the right path; same goal. Also, I want both of you to lay down some suppressive fire when you aren't fending off husks. Keep them in cover. Meanwhile, I'll pick them off from here. Ok, move out."

Ashley was impressed with the Commander. His plan for taking on the geth was sound, being both an offensive and defensive strategy. _This man is definitely worthy of praise. His strategy is practically flawless._

Shepard gave the hold fire hand signal, telling them to wait until he said to fire. She watched as he brought his hand back down to his rifle, and relaxed his body. _Man, the Commander sure knows his stuff. Kinda handsome too. Wonder if he's got a significant other._ The other half of her brain was shocked. _Whoa there Ashley. Calm down you just met the guy! You don't even know anything about him! Still… he is handsome… _Ashley visible shook her head, angry with herself for thinking such thoughts. She quickly focused on her current objective, which was defending his flank and suppressing fire. The sound of a round leave a sniper rifle cracked the air, and Shepard practically shouted through the comm,"Weapons free!"

Kaidan Alenko was a much better biotic than marine. His aim with an AR was shoddy at best, and his shotgun was decent. His pistol was decently his go to weapon, but he always trusted his biotics to do the things he couldn't do with guns. As the first husk charged up his slope, he biotically threw it back, smashing it into a pillar of stone, and heard the crack of its bones from 20 meters away. After another repeat from the second charging husk, the third closed the distance, and Kaidan had to fire his pistol to bring it down, 6 shots later, the battle was over, just like that. Every geth on this side of the spaceport was either missing its flashlight, or missing its entire head. Husks lay across the battlefield, either completely riddled with bullets or rendered completely inert. Kaidan stood up from his kneeled position, and turned to the Commander. He nodded, first to him, then to the Gunnery Chief.

'Good work, both of you. Now let's get-"Before Shepard could finish, a gunshot resonated through the air. Everyone automatically brought up their rifles, searching for an immediate threat. Seeing no threat around, they lowered their rifles, and Alenko spoke, directed at Williams.

"I don't suppose Commander Shepard or you fired that shot?"

"No sir, not me."

"Same. Could be a survivor maybe."

Kaidan pondered this. _Yeah could be. But it was only one shot. No other shots have been fired yet. _

"How come we haven't heard any other shots then?"

"Fair point. Still, we won't figure it out here, so let's get moving."

The Commander took off down the slope, heading into the spaceport. Kaidan quickly fell in step, followed by the Gunnery Chief. As they rounded the corner, Shepard stopped in his tracks. Kaidan stepped out to his left and his eyes fell upon the corpse on the ground.

"Is that… Nihlus?"

* * *

Shepard was pissed now. _How did this happen? Nihlus literally just talked to us 10 minutes ago! Said he was going to the spaceport. Finally get here and he's dead? What the hell man! Guess this means my Spectre candidacy is out the window._

Shepard shook his head, surprised at how callous he was acting towards Nihlus's death. He strolled over and took a knee, searching for any signs damage and trauma. He immediately spotted a bullet hole, straight through his neck. _Hmm interesting. This is a small bullet hole. That must mean the wound is from a pistol shot. But how could someone sneak up on a Spectre and get close enough to do this?_

Shepard heard something. He immediately stood back up, pistol drawn, staring hard at a pile of crates that had been on his right. Glancing through his peripheral, he saw both Williams and Alenko also had weapons drawn. Shepard spoke up.

"Whoever you are, you better come out from behind those crates."

Some more rustling could be heard, and a disheveled looking human man was seen. Shepard released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and kept his pistol level with the man. The man started speaking frantically noticing he was still being held at gunpoint.

"Don't shoot! Please! I'm human!"

Shepard snorted. "I noticed. Now, tell me what happened here. Then I'll lower my gun. What happened to this turian?"

The man swallowed nervously, and started out his story.

"Ah well, y'see, he was walking around this here spaceport, when he ran into anotha turian, think he said 'is name was Saren or somethin. Anyways, they started talkin, and your turian friend relaxed, then Saren pulled a gun on 'im and shot em! He was dead as a doornail."

Shepard tried to figure this situation out._ Ok, so Nihlus is dead, shot by another turian, named Saren. Clearly this Saren figure is behind this attack since he just murdered a Council Spectre._ Shepard then recalled their primary objective.

"The prothean beacon, where is it? Did that turian Saren have it?"

"Uh yeah, he had it loaded onto the tram and sent it down to the other side of the spaceport." The worker replied.

Shepard nodded. "Thanks for your help. You might want to stay hidden until the coast is clear."

"Don't need to tell me twice." The worker mumbled as he settled back down behind the crates.

Shepard couldn't help but grin at the worker's remark. It disappeared a second later though, replaced by a determined look. Shepard nodded his head towards the tram station. "Move out."

* * *

"Oh shit! Commander, the geth have a bomb placed here!" Kaidan had to shout over the sound of geth rounds blazing overhead. They were currently kneeling down behind cover, a bomb not three feet from them. Shepard grunted "Well start disarming it, Staff Lieutenant!"

Kaidan began accessing the hardpoints, breaking down the decoding sequence, when he noticed something peculiar on one of the other hardpoints. It was a digital map detailing the area, and revealing the location of several other bombs.

"Commander the geth have several other bombs in place around the area! They're all going to blow in 3 minutes and counting!"

He could hear Shepard curse under his breath.

"shit. Alright Alenko, let's go. Williams, provide us covering fire! We have to disable those bombs or this colony will be nothing but rubble."

"Yes Commander!"

Kaidan stood up, done disabling the first of three. He turned to Shepard, and nodded, letting him know he was clear to move on to the next. The nearest bomb was 40 meters away, but relatively safe considering it was just to their left across a small bridge. To their position and behind some support arches. Kaidan pointed there, and Shepard nodded. He immediately stood up and ran across the walkway to the other side, and Kaidan followed closely behind. Some geth took some potshots at them, but none of them broke shields. As they slid into cover, he began disarming the bomb, the countdown timer in his helmet slowly counting down. Kaidan was beginning to get flustered. This bomb was different than the last one. If the last bomb is different too, he doubt he could disarm them with time to spare. He voiced his concerns to his Commander.

"Can you disarm this bomb in relative safety?" Shepard replied.

"Yes sir."

"Good. I'm going to disable that other bomb. You keep working on this one."

"But sir that final bomb is surrounded by geth and I don't even know if you have technical skills!"

"Kaidan, Just worry about your bomb, I'll take care of the other."

And with that, Shepard ran off, unpacking his Assault Rifle, and spraying bullets at geth units. Kaidan watched for a second, before turning his attention to disarming the bomb. _That man is all sorts of insane._

Shepard bolted from Alenko's side, drawing his AR and firing in one smooth motion. As the geth turned his attention to him, he spoke through his comm to Ashley.

"Williams! Your clear!Wipe these bastards out!"

"Aye aye sir!" Gunfire resounded from her side, and the geth turned to deal with her, only to be fired upon from Shepard. In 20 seconds, The seven geth that were there were nothing but smashed technology. Shepard ran across the walkway back to the original side they were on, and the final bomb. As he rounded the corner, he saw the device neatly tucked into a corner, and a countdown clock that just reached 45 seconds. He dropped his rifle and accessed the first hardpoint, disabling it in a few seconds. _Never thought the tech skills I learned as an Infiltrator would come into play this early._ Shepard laughed mirthlessly, and moved on to the next hardpoint. This process continued until the bomb was finally disabled, with 16 seconds to spare.

Alenko ran up behind him, and noticing the disabled bomb, slowed down to a standstill some feet behind him. He shook his head and let out a long whistle. Williams ran up behind him and spied the disabled bomb as well.

"Wow Commander. Didn't know you had some skill on Tech."

Shepard shrugged, a smile slowing spreading across his face. "eh, just something I picked up while training to be an N7. Now come on, we still got to find that beacon."

* * *

The trio walked down a short ramp, leading into a spacious area, with two side platforms accessible by walkway. In front of them stood their primary objective: The Prothean beacon. Shepard nodded, satisfied that something went right this mission. He put an ear up to his comm unit and spoke into it, not noticing Ashley had started approaching the beacon.

"Commander Shepard to _Normandy,_ the beacon is secure, awaiting extraction."

He logged off his comm and turned around with a smile and was facing Kaidan. He nodded to Kaidan and was going to say something, until something caught his eye. The beacon was resonating, ever so faintly, and was giving off faint trails of green. He saw Ashley approaching the beacon, and sprang into action. He roughly pushed past Kaidan, and grabbed Ashley around the midsection with both arms, throwing her out of harm's way. As she landed with a solid thump, the beacon grabbed ahold of Shepard, and he experienced what could only be described as a 'mindfuck'.

Visions and pictures swam through his mind, none of them making any sense. He saw synthetics, machines, butchering and slaughtering people. He saw a statue, of an odd looking creature, twisted and evil-looking. Then a figure, being torn asunder by… something. A Light? A beam? The vision ended abruptly, and he collapsed on the ground.

Ashley fucked up. She knows she did. She totally screwed everything up. As she watched the Commander get float up due to the Prothean beacon, she tried to run up and pull him away, but Kaidan had stopped her.

"Stop! You don't know what will happen if you break the connection!"

He held on to her until Shepard finally hit the ground, the Prothean beacon exploding along with it. She rushed over to his side, and saw him fully unconscious. She breathed a sigh of relief. _Not dead. Good._ She could hear Kaidan speaking through his comm, most likely telling someone what had happened. She shook her head. _Goddamnit Williams. You fucked it up! The Commander had to save you and because of you the beacon blew up! _She was frustrated with herself. What was wrong with her?!

She didn't get to reply as the Normandy loomed overhead. She picked up Shepard, draping one of his limp arms around her neck, and spoke to Kaidan.

"Staff Lieutenant! I could use some help here."

Kaidan looked over in her direction and nodded. He moved over to Shepard's other side and draped his other arm around his shoulders. Together they both carried Shepard back onto the _Normandy_, and into the medical bay, before being ushered out by Dr. Chakwas.

Kaidan was worried. _Damn I hope the Commander is alright. _He returned to his usual post, right next to the CO cabin, where he usually worked on a damned terminal that never seemed to work properly. As he moved to his spot, he noticed Ashley, pacing about in front on the medbay. A small smile split his lips._ I can think of several different reasons why she would do that. Most likely because she thinks it's her fault, even though it's not. But something tells me she has a thing for Shepard. Call it guy's intuition._ He shook his head, and looked at the terminal in front of him. He sighed. Why won't this damn thing ever work?

* * *

**A/N Man i feel like i didn't do as well with this chapter. It kind felt all over the place with the perspectives of Shepard, Kaidan and Ashley. Let me know if my suspicions are correct. **

**Review pl0x.**


	5. Chapter 4: Citadel Troubles pt 1

**A/N **

**What is this blasphemy? Another Chapter so soon? WELL YOU BET YOUR GODDAMN SOCKS ANOTHER CHAPTER! I'm seriously overflowing with anxiety. I REALLY want to get to the Citadel already and introduce Tali. I mean that's why you guys are reading this right? Right?**

**A/N 2**

**I MADE A POLL CAUSE I CAN'T DECIDE WHAT SHEPARD'S FIRST NAME SHOULD BE! GO PICK! YOU CAN CHOOSE TWO NAMES. PLS HALP ME**

* * *

_Chapter 4: Citadel Troubles pt.1_

Shepard was slowly regaining consciousness. It was bright wherever he was, painfully so. He waited for his eyes to get used to the light through closed eyelids, and slowly opened them. He realized the lights actually weren't that bright. As he stared up into the ceiling, his head was pounding, and pain coursed through his head each time.

Finally he began to sit up, and winced at how stiff he felt. He looked around, and realized that he was in the medbay of the Normandy. _Uggh my head feels like punching bag. What happened? How did I get here?_ As he thought about all of this, Doctor Chakwas, who noticed Shepard sitting up, walked over.

"So, Commander, how are you feeling?"

_Shitty. Horrible. Awful. So many words I could use. But I would rather not be cooped up in here for days on end._

"Minor throbbing and a headache. Nothing else from what I can tell so far."

Dr. Chakwas nodded.

"Good. You took a nasty hit down there Commander."

At this point, Gunnery Chief Williams burst in.

"Commander! Thank God you're up! It was all my fault what happened down there. I must have triggered a security mechanism in the beacon, and you had to push me out of the way." She stopped right at the foot of the bed Shepard was sitting on.

Shepard's headache soared to new heights at Williams nearly shouting voice, but in actuality she was speaking at a the same level as Chakwas had.

"It's fine Williams. You couldn't have known. Don't beat yourself up about it."

He gave her a weak smile, which she returned generously. Before Chakwas could speak again, Shepard posed a question for Ashley.

"What happened to the beacon?"

Ashley's smile faded, and her gaze shifted downwards.

"After it…. grabbed… you, it started pulsating, and once it dropped you it exploded. Probably another security measure."

Shepard sighed. _Great. not only is Nihlus dead, but our prothean beacon is blown to smithereens. What a disappointment._

Before anything else could be said, the door to the medbay opened, and Anderson walked in. When he saw Shepard, a smile breached his face.

"Shepard." Relief was evident in his voice. "You look good. How are you feeling?"

"I've been better, sir."

Anderson nodded, and the smile disappeared.

"Shepard I need to talk with you. In private."

Shepard locked eyes with Ashley, and she nodded, saluted, then turned and walked out the medbay. Doctor Chakwas grumbled something about him 'needing a checkup', and walked back to her desk. Anderson and Shepard watched them take their leave, and Anderson turned back to Shepard. Before Anderson could speak Shepard spoke.

"Corporal Jenkins. What happened to him? Did we recover his body?"

Anderson nodded.

"Yes, Kaidan told us about him. I'm truly sad to have lost him. He had a bright future."

Shepard sighed, and cast his eyes downward.

"Yeah. I can't help but feel like it was my fault. I mean I did send him down there. I sent him down there and he died because of it."

"Now Shepard, we've already had this talk. You couldn't have saved him. You had no idea there would be a surprise attack by geth drones. Speaking of which…"

"Yes sir, I can confirm that there were geth down on Eden Prime."

Anderson raised an eyebrow, and stated, "I think you best start from the beginning, son."

Shepard took a deep breath, and launched into retelling his entire mission, all the way from landing on Eden Prime, to the death of Jenkins, to finding Ashley, and eventually ending with the prothean beacon grabbing him.

Anderson let out a long whistle.

"Damn son. So this beacon… What did it show you? What was it?"

Shepard shook his head slowly.

"I saw… I'm not sure what I saw. Destruction. Death. I saw synthetics. They were slaughtering people. Butchering them."

"Hmm we need to tell the Council about this."

Shepard scoffed. "What are we going to tell them? I had a bad dream? They are never going to act on that."

"Fair enough, but we still need to talk to them about this mission. And especially the death of Nihlus. When you talked to the worker, he heard Nihlus say Saren?"

"Yeah he said he called him Saren, dropped his guard, and Saren put a bullet through his neck. Why? You know him?"

Anderson's face darkened thinking about Saren.

"Yeah I know him. Turian Spectre, most accomplished Spectre in the Council's eyes. Also _hates_ humanity."

Shepard locked eyes with Anderson.

"So what's the plan, Anderson?"

Anderson shook his head.

"I need to call Ambassador Udina, get him to schedule a meeting with the council. We need to explain how Nihlus was killed, and expose Saren as the leader of the geth attack."

Shepard barked out a short humorless laugh.

"Yeah that plan isn't doomed to fail at all."

"Agreed, but we don't really have a choice. We also need to figure out where you stand on getting into the Council Spectres."

"You think they will still let me in after this screw-up?"

"Shepard stop. This mission was not a screw-up, and saying it is, is insulting Corporal Jenkins and his sacrifice on this mission. This mission wasn't perfect, yes, but it was not a failure either." Anderson's voice was stern, and would brook no argument.

Shepard didn't speak for a while, instead allowing himself to brood on what Anderson said. Before he could respond, Anderson was speaking again.

"Look Shepard, I need to organize and arrange a meeting with Udina and prepare our findings to him so he can prepare them to the Council. When you are fit, go speak with Joker and tell him to head to the Citadel. "

Shepard nodded, and Anderson turned and left without another word. Shepard sat for a couple more seconds, before he was approached by Dr. Chakwas.

"Shepard, before you go, I would like to do one final checkup on you."

"Alright Doctor, just no needles." Chakwas smiled at the thought of sticking a needle in Shepard as part of a checkup, but refrained from mentioning it.

"No promises, Commander." Shepard put on a mock frown, which elicited a small bout of laughter from his doctor. Shepard smiled and straightened up for her checkup. As she scanned him with her Omni-tool, Shepard thought about Jenkins. _I know that the Alliance has a group of people who will send a message to loved ones about soldiers KIA or MIA. But I still feel responsible for his death. I'll need to ask Anderson later for leave to go see the Jenkins and offer my condolences about their son._

Doctor Chakwas finished up her scan, and announced her findings.

"Well Shepard, everything seems nominal, vital signs are steady. However, I noticed that while you were unconscious, your delta brain waves were having increased amounts of traffic, and you rapid eye movement suggested heavy dreaming."

"Yeah, I had a vision on Eden Prime, courtesy of the prothean beacon."

Doctor Chakwas nodded, and didn't pursue the matter, which surprised Shepard._ Thought for sure she would ask about that. Then again it's not of medical concern, so maybe she feels she doesn't need to know._

"Alright Commander, you are clear to go. And I recommend not getting into any combat situations for a few hours, but knowing you, It's going to happen whether I like it or not."

"Oh ye of little faith, I think I can manage a few hours without fighting something."

Karin Chakwas rolled her eyes, and Shepard laughed at the sight. He walked out of the medbay, smile on his face, when the Gunnery Chief, standing by the Mess table, waved him over. Shepard walked over, smile still on his face, when Williams asked him something.

"Soo… Commander.. How are you feeling?"

Shepard mentally shook his head.

"I'm still fine from when you asked me 10 minutes ago. "

Ashley smiled nervously, and replied, "Sorry sir, It's just, you're THE Commander Shepard, The Lion of Elysium! If you had died because you had to rescue me, I don't know how I could live with myself."

Ashley looked down, the shame and fear in her voice evident. Shepard frowned, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Williams, look at me. I'm fine, okay? I didn't die, and I'm not going to anytime soon. So stop beating yourself up over 'what ifs', and move on. Ok?"

Ashley met his eyes, and Shepard gave her a heartwarming smile. Ashley's heart nearly stopped seeing that smile. _Oh my God. That smile could melt steel. No scratch that, that smile could penetrate a planet core. God it's such a beautiful smile._

Ashley smiled back, and Shepard gave her shoulder a light squeeze. He removed his hand, and turned to leave for the upper deck where CIC was. As he left, she couldn't help but stare at him. All of him. Ashley blushed, remembering where exactly she was, and the 12-ish people also in the same room. As she looked around, she saw most people hadn't noticed her…. Eying the Commander, until she looked at Kaidan. Kaidan was looking at her, a knowing smile on his face, and an eyebrow arched at her. She blushed even more, until you cheeks were a deep shade of red, and left before anyone could see.

Back in the mess hall, Kaidan chuckled quietly to himself. _Just as I knew. She has a crush on Commander Shepard. Wait a minute. Does Shepard even have a first name? I'm pretty sure that the only people who know his first name are Alliance brass and his family. Wow, that's something, keeping you first name completely hidden from most people. I wonder if the Captain knows it._ As Kaidan pondered these thoughts, the terminal in front of him beeped, and an error message popped up. He growled in frustration. _Damn this blasted thing!_

* * *

"Joker, Take us to the Citadel. Apparently we're going to report our mission to the Council directly."

Joker scoffed.

'Yeah can't wait to see how that turns out. We get the honor of telling them we blew up some ancient technology and we got one of their Spectres killed. I bet they'll love that news."

Shepard shook his head and smirked. _This man is so lucky he is the best pilot I've ever seen. He would be jailed for insubordination under an hour if he was with anyone other than Anderson._

"Yeah, well we don't exactly have a choice here. It's either that or we become fugitives."

"Uhhh yeah plotting course to the Citadel now."

Shepard shook his head and chuckled.

"What the thought of being a fugitive from the Alliance and Council not appealing?" Shepard joked.

"Yeah, I prefer being an active serviceman than a cripple on the run."

"Cripple? Anderson didn't let tell me you were crippled. I assume it doesn't affect your flying though, considering you're a pilot."

Joker sighed.

"Yeah I have Vrolik's syndrome. Leg bones never fully developed, therefore, prolonged walking, dancing, sex, etc, I break bones. Also, all other bones in my body have lower thresholds before snapping, so yeah it sucks big time."

Shepard let out a low whistle.

"Damn, that's gotta suck. Especially the sex thing. I must say though, the dancing one sounds like a blessing. Wish I had an excuse like that."

Joker laughed.

"Hah yeah, I probably couldn't dance worth shit, even if I did have regular bones."

A silence lapsed between the two as Joker approached the mass relay, his fingers flying around the haptic interface of the pilot controls, until Shepard broke it.

"Alright, well good chat Joker. I think I'm going to go down to the mess and get something to eat."

Shepard turned to leave and passed the airlock before hearing a lonely "See ya Commander." A grin broke out into his face. He walked down the stairs, and moved past the elevator that led into the cargo bay. He went over to the "kitchen" and opened the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of water, and uncapped it, drinking almost all of it in one go. _Damn I didn't think I was this thirsty._ He quickly reached in and grabbed another one. He tucked the tucked the unopened bottle in the crook of his arm, and pulled out an MRE. Shepard winced looking at it._ I need to get a proper meal soon. These MRE's are starting to taste like cardboard._

He closed the fridge door, and moved to sit down at the table. He finished the first bottle of water, setting it down on the tabletop, and leaned back in his chair. He let out an appreciative sigh. He wasn't looking forward to the Citadel. The Council meeting was going to be nothing short of a huge letdown. He let out a huge sigh, suddenly losing his appetite. _This should be fun, _he thought dryly.

* * *

_Meanwhile, aboard the Citadel_

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya's Pilgrimage was off to a terrible start. Less than a month and already people were trying to kill her. She looked down at her arm, bleeding from a bullet wound that punctured her suit. Her vision was getting hazy, and the room was spinning around her… _Oh Keelah.. polonium rounds.. like I needed something else to make this day worse._ She groaned at the pain coursing through her body. She would be sick for days, if she even survived. She needed to find a clinic and get rid of the infection fast.

As she stumbled walked past yet another door, she rounded a corner and saw the universal symbol for health, a red cross. She hit the door interface, and lurched through. She could faintly make out a figure sitting at a desk. _It looks like a… a human? I haven't met a human yet. I wonder if they hate my kind too. Ancestors pray she doesn't._ The woman looked up as she heard footsteps, and saw Tali clutching her arm. Immediately the nurse stood up, and rushed over to her.

"Oh my. Are you ok dear?"

Tali hesitated.

"Uh.. Ye- Yes.. No. I'm… hurt.. I was mm.. shot, polonium round."

The human woman's eyebrow furrowed deeper and worry creased her young face.

"You were shot? By whom? Nevermind, take a seat on a bed, and I'll see if I can't find fix you up."

Tali was shocked. This woman was willing to help her despite what she was!

"You mean you will… help me despite.. who I am?"

Her voice was incredulous, and a bit apprehensive.

"Of course! I opened this clinic to help people, and I have no prejudice towards anybody."

Tali breathed out a sigh of relief. _Thank the Ancestors. At least these humans don't hate us. _

She sat down on the edge on the bed, and waited for the nurse to come back with an application of medigel and a dose of antibiotics and immunoboosters. She walked right up to her, and handed her the Antibiotics and Immunoboosters, while she applied medigel directly to the wound. Tali gratefully accepted the boosters, and injected them, feeling instantaneously better. She sighed, feeling much better, but knowing full well she would still be very sick.

The nice nurse woman left again, saying, "Stay here miss, I'll be right back."

As she waited, she contemplated how she would go about this. The information she had acquired is obviously very important, considering people wanted her dead. She needed to find a way to get protection from anymore would be assassins. She really hoped she wasn't overstepping the boundaries of the human's hospitality. She still didn't know much about them, considering how isolated her kind is, and how new the humans are. As the nurse returned, Tali was still trying to figure out how to ask her when she handed her a large bundle.

Tali looked up, suspicion laced within her voice.

The nurse looked into her eyes, and smiled, a genuine smile.

"You have nothing to fear from me. Open it up. It's a few extra medigel packs. Just in case you find yourself in more trouble. I mixed in antibiotics and immunoboosters in them as well."

Tali was speechless at this generosity.

"I.. I don't know what to say.. Thank you."

She smiled at Tali.

"Don't worry about it."

Silence reigned in the room for a few seconds, and Tali's hands started to nervously play about close to her midsection, an ingrained habit she does everytime she get's nervous.

"Uhm.. I hate to bother… But.. do you know where I could find an information broker?"

* * *

**A/N **

**Ok so the ending Tali part was actually a last minute addition for me. I hadn't planned on putting it in, but this chapter was fairly short, and it's supposed to act as filler in between Shepard waking up and the whole Citadel spiel. I feel like it kinda fits in though.**

**As always, review please or I will have Tali hack your phone and delete all your apps. Yes I'm that evil. :]**


	6. Chapter 5: Citadel Troubles pt 2

**A/N**

**Hey Guys here's another chapter here. I think I'll try to fit the entire Citadel spiel in here, So this might be around 5k words.  
**

**GUYS PLEASE GO TO MY POLL AND VOTE!**

**Enjoy!**

**A/N 2**

**Added a description of Saren.**

* * *

_Chapter 5: Citadel Troubles pt.2_

Shepard sighed inwardly. _We knew the Council wouldn't do anything. And yet… here we are._ Shepard was currently standing in the Council Chambers, where very few people ever step foot. Shepard felt overwhelmed when he first entered. The vast size of the place was shocking alone. Anderson, Udina and I were to all attend the meeting, after the Ambassador had undergone argued with the Council members about them needing to see what we heard. _I still don't like him. He's a huge asshole, but maybe that's because he's a politician. Politicians always have 6 foot poles up their asses._

Maybe it wasn't all bad though. On his way to the Council's overhanging platform, he had met a turian named Garrus Vakarian. _There was something about that turian. He seemed… different. He knew Saren was up to something, but his superior cut him off from the case. I'll need to speak with him later._ Shepard thought about the turians in general. They were a very militaristic people. They didn't have soft skin like humans or salarians, but had bone plates that covered their body, making them naturally resistant against force. Their entire being was very angular, but that was judging from their armor appearance. Few people saw any turians outside their armor. Still, they were a very rigid species, and were designated as the "police force" of Council space. They also wore face paint of sorts, most likely resembling their family "coat of arms".

Shepard shook his head and returned to the hearing. _Sigh. Why don't they just tell us that they aren't going to convict Saren and let us leave? I could be out there finding more evidence against him instead of wasting time in this pointless meeting. _Shepard looked up, after hearing one of the councilors call his name.

_Strange isn't? So many diverse races, and yet only three have council members. Shows who is really in charge. _He gazed at all three of them, from left to right,Turian. Asari. Salarian. _Right Asari. Supposed the longest living race right next to the krogan. All are natural biotics all are female, and they founded the galactic community. They are also less prejudice than most, but it's still there. _Next were the salarians. _Short lives. They have extremely high metabolisms so they only live to around 40 to 50 years. Extremely intelligent, their mostly used for espionage and Intel gathering or degrees in medical, scientific, engineering, you name it. They are basically all geniuses._ Shepard focused once again on the meeting, where the asari councilor, Councilor Tevos, reposed a question at him.

"I said, do you have any further evidence, Commander?"

Shepard was still a little bitter at the earlier exchange that had taken place between him and the holographic projection of Saren.

"You already made your decision. I won't waste my breath." Contempt was clear in his voice, and the turian councilor, Sparatus, narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, before being silenced by Tevos's glare. She turned back to stare out into the vast space of the chamber, and spoke.

"Ambassador, we do not find enough evidence to convict Saren of these charges. Saren is free to continue his duties as a Spectre."

Saren nodded smugly, before replying, "Good to see that justice has been served." Saren was a turian, but unlike any turian he had seen. he had no idea what his color was, but that was unimportant. What made him seem sinister was the excessive amount of cybernetic implants he had on his body. His entire right arm was more tech then flesh. blue lines of scarring showed through his face, and half his jaw was cybernetic. _This guy is more machine than turian. I don't understand how the Council fully trusts him! _

The Council adjourned the meeting, filing off in a neat row towards a side door.

Shepard turned to walk out, Anderson and Udina following. Shepard was about at the top of the stairs leading to the overlook the Council used when Anderson called him back.

"Shepard wait! We need to talk."

"Shepard sighed and turned back. Udina kept walking past them, grumbling something about the Council being anti-human.

"Yes, Anderson?"

"Look Shepard, all three of us know that Saren is guilty of attacking Eden Prime. However, since the evidence isn't enough for the council, we will find more evidence. We can't just let Saren continue this attack on humanity."

"I know Anderson, that's why I was about to leave. I was going to go find that C-sec officer, Garrus Vakarian and see if he knows anything."

"Good. Although how are you going to find him? This is a large station, Shepard."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I could ask around at the embassies."

Anderson put a hand to his chin and thought about it. After a few seconds he shook his head.

"No, that won't do. Go to Chora's Den, down in the wards. You'll find a man named Harkin down there. He keeps tabs on everyone in C-sec. Used to be C-sec himself before he was fired for excessive drinking."

Shepard groaned. _Oh great. I get to deal with a drunk. Fantastic. _He turned to leave, speaking over his shoulder back to Anderson.

"Alright Anderson, I'll go see him. Wish I didn't have to, But I'll go."

"Shepard, before you go, one more thing." Anderson reached an arm out and stopped him by the shoulder. He brought Shepard closer and whispered, glancing around to make sure no one could eavesdrop.

"There is another person you can see. A volus named Barla Von. He's a banker, but rumor is he is also an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"The Shadow Broker? The infamous information broker?"

Anderson nodded mutely.

Shepard pondered this for a second. _If this Barla Von character truly is an agent for the Shadow Broker, his information could be extensive, and invaluable._

Shepard looked back up at Anderson, and replied, "Alright Anderson, I'll let you know what I find. I have a feeling I'll be needing my squad for this though."

Anderson nodded. " Agreed Shepard. Saren could very easily hire assassins, so tread carefully. Good luck in finding that evidence, Commander."

* * *

Shepard went down the stairs to the taxi pad, while Anderson continued past him to the elevator leading down to the Presidium. _The Presidium. Where the rich and mighty live above all else. Sigh I guess even the other species have its rich and poor._

A taxi arrived shortly, and Shepard got in.

The taxi driver, a salarian, spoke up.

"Where are you headed?" His voice was heavy with boredom.

"I need to find Barla Von's office. Need to make a deposit."

"Ok, sir, this will just take a minute."

The taxi took off, and circled around the Council Tower, before coming to rest in front of Barla Von's office in the Presidium. He stepped out, and offered out a credit chit to the salarian.

"Thanks for the ride. Here. Keep it all."

The salarians eyes went wide as he scanned the credit chit.

"But sir, this is over 100 credits! I can't charge you that!"

Shepard grinned. "You didn't. I'm giving it to you. I feel like being a little generous today."

The salarian mumbled. "Thank you sir."

Shepard just nodded, and closed the door. He turned around, and looked up, reading the sign through his translator. _Barla Von Finances huh? It's a good coverup, I have to admit. Being a banker also gets you a lot of names and account info._

Shepard stepped out towards the door leading into his office. He hit the door interface, and it split open, granting admittance into the room. Shepard peered around the room. It was very basic. A few terminals lay against the walls on his left and right, and a good 5 meters from the door was a desk and computer terminal, with a volus standing there, waiting.

He walked over to the volus, and was beaten to the punch.

"Ah-_skee- _Commander Shepard. I suspected you would-_skee- _visit me."

Shepard raised an eyebrow.

"You know who I am? And knew I was coming to see you? Guess it's true that you are an agent for the Shadow Broker then."

The volus nodded. "Yes I-_skee-_am indeed an agent for the Shadow Broker. But I suspect-_skee-_ you aren't here to make a deposit."

"very astute. I need to find a C-sec officer. He's a turian, and his name is Garrus Vakarian."

"Ahh-_skee-_ Vakarian. Yes the one investigating Saren. He-_skee-_ was last seen traveling towards a clinic_-skee- _down in the Wards."

Shepard nodded. "Thank you Mr. Von."

Barla Von chuckled. "Please-_skee-_ call me Barla."

"Alright then Barla, Thanks again for the info. What the price?"

Barla shook his head vehemently.

"No charge, Commander. -_skee-_ You are planning to expose Saren's _-skee- _crimes."

Shepard was about to protest, but Barla held up a 3 fingered hand, silencing him.

"Commander, please. Just_-skee-_go and bring Saren to justice."

Shepard hesitated for a second, then nodded.

"I owe you one, Barla. Thank you again for the telling me where he is."

The volus nodded. "My pleasure, Commander." Shepard turned to leave, and walked out of his office. _Alright,Clinic in the wards. How hard can it be to find a clinic?_

* * *

_Jesus this thing was a lot harder to find than I thought. _Shepard stood in front of a door, a red cross above his head. He was still dressed in full armor, but this time armed to the teeth with his weapons. Behind him, Ashley and Kaidan stood, gun's holstered, but ready to draw them at a moment's notice.

Shepard hit the door open, and took in the situation with an expert eye. There was a female human being held hostage by a group of 3 humans, most likely thugs. Garrus was kneeling behind cover opposite of them hostage dealers, crouched and pistol drawn. Shepard immediately signaled for Ashley and Kaidan to hold position. They complied, if somewhat confused at what Shepard was doing. They took cover on either side of the door frame outside, and drew their guns.

Shepard activated his tactical cloak, and advanced slowly towards a low wall that curved around the sickbeds of the clinic. He crouched behind it, and drew his pistol. He deactivated his cloak, and Garrus started upon seeing him. Shepard held a finger up to his lips, making sure the turian wouldn't give his position away. He nodded, and started speaking to the thugs.

"Let her go!"

The human holding her the nurse hostage had his arm wrapped around her neck, and a pistol pointed over her shoulder where Garrus was hiding. He barked out a dark laugh.

"Sure thing, cop, let me hand you my gun while I'm at it." The sarcasm was heavy in his voice, and his eyes bore holes into the pillar Garrus was hiding behind. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Shepard jumped up from his cover and opened fire on the two thugs stationed behind the man holding hostage. The thugs jumped a little, surprised at the sudden appearance of a fully armored individual. He turned the hostage towards Shepard, but not before Shepard had already dropped his two buddies. As soon as he turned to face him, a bullet entered and promptly exited his skull, and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Shepard glanced over at Garrus, who was standing up now, pistol drawn, barrel still smoking. Shepard lowered his gun, and nodded.

"Good shot, Officer Vakarian."

"Please, just call me Garrus. Thanks for helping me out, we were in a stalemate for a good 10 minutes before you came."

He turned to tend to the woman, who had fallen to her knees after being released. Garrus offered a talon out, saying, "Are you alright, Dr. Michel?"

Michel stood up, and nodded, her face still pale from the stress of being held hostage.

As she spoke, Shepard noticed she spoke with an accent. _What accent is that? Russian, Ukrainian? _He pushed the thought aside, and called out to Kaidan and Ashley still taking cover by the door. They walked in, Kaidan first, and surveyed the area. Shepard turned back to the doctor, and spoke.

"Dr. Michel, I know those men probably threatened you, but if you tell us who they work for, we can protect you."

"They worked for Fist, a human.

"Why did they do this?"

"They wanted to stop me from telling Garrus about the quarian."

Shepard perked up slightly. _A quarian huh? I've never seen one before. I wonder what their like. Wait, if they were holding her hostage, that means that quarian is in danger. But why? _

"I think you better start from the beginning."

Michel cleared her throat, and started walking around. Her hands started fiddling about.

"17 hours ago, a quarian came into my clinic. She had been shot with a polonium round, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I patched her up, and she asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information in exchange for protection. I pointed her towards Fist, since he is an agent for the Shadow Broker."

Before Shepard could think about it, Garrus spoke up.

"Not anymore. He betrayed the Shadow Broker and works for Saren now."

Michel gave Garrus a surprised look. "Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? He's more idiotic than I thought."

Shepard spoke, a bit of ice in his voice.

"We're getting off track. What info did the quarian have?"

Michel shrugged. "I don't know. She wouldn't tell me."

Shepard hummed quietly, thinking hard.

After a while he straighten up, and spoke.

"I need to find that quarian. Where is Fist?"

"Fist usually hides out in Chora's Den. But Commander, before you go. I would like to ask you something." Garrus paused, collecting his thoughts.

"I want to come with you, Commander. I want Saren brought to justice for what he's done."

Shepard looked him over. _Hmm I can't say I wouldn't like having him. Garrus has shown some intiative, and he's a pretty good shot. I would say he excels with a sniper. Ehhh Sure why not?_

Shepard locked eyes, and nodded. He offered out a hand, which Garrus promptly shook.

He looked back over his shoulder. "Ashley, head back to the ship. Garrus, Alenko and I can handle it from here."

Ashley pouted for a second, and looked like she was going to speak up, but stopped, and turned to go back to the _Normandy._

Together, they exited the clinic, before Garrus remembered something.

"Commander wait! I have some other news. A krogan was turned into C-sec earlier today. He was seen in Chora's Den making threats towards the bouncer who guarded Fist. He's a bounty hunter, and his contract is most likely Fist. I think we should pick him up."

Shepard paused, and nodded. "Alright Garrus, let's go pick up this krogan."

* * *

Shepard, Garrus and Kaidan stepped out of the elevator leading into the C-sec Academy. In front and to the right, he saw a krogan in bloodred armor, surrounded by 3 C-sec officers, all human.

Shepard walked up to the group, and stopped a few feet away. He crossed his arms, and listened to the two groups argue. Eventually, the krogan saw Shepard, and walked up to him.

"What do you want, human?"When the krogan spoke, his voice was deep and guttural, with traces or primal rage laced within.

The krogan was immense, standing at 7 feet tall, and bulky as hell. He had a massive scar across the right side of his face, and his eyes were blazed with rage. What confused him the most was he also some wisdom in those red eyes. _Strange,I thought all krogan were bloodthirsty. Yet this krogan shows signs of wisdom and intelligence. _

"I'm heading after Fist, and I heard you are too. Thought you might want in on this." Shepard replied.

The krogan narrowed his eyes, and stared at Shepard. Shepard held his ground, knowing the krogan was assessing him. A few tense seconds passed, where Kaidan was nervously shifting his feet, and Garrus's mandibles were twitching, before the krogan grunted, and leaned back away from Shepard.

"Alright Human, I'll go with you. But I want this clear: I kill Fist."

Shepard shrugged at the krogan. "Fair enough. What do they call you?"

The krogan stared a bit longer, before replying, "Urdnot Wrex, But you can call me Wrex."

Shepard nodded.

"My name is Commander Shepard. Now, let's go pay a visit to Fist."

Wrex gave a deep chuckle, his eyes alit with battle fire.

"About time."

* * *

Shepard, Garrus and Wrex were in a heated firefight in Chora's Den. Fist had gotten word that he was being hunted, and hired mercs to turn his place into a fortress. Shepard was seething with impatience. _We're wasting time here! For all we know that quarian could be dead, killed by Saren's assassins!_ Shepard ducked lower behind the flipped table he was behind, and brought his sniper rifle about, scoping and dropping a merc in less than a second. He dropped behind cover again. 3 meters from him, Garrus also was gunning people down with an AR, making sure to keep his gun from overheating, but still maintaining constant fire. Wrex, on the other hand, had charged right in and surprised Shepard when he starting glowing blue with biotic power. _I didn't even know krogan could have biotics. I guess I found myself a one of a kind krogan._

4 minutes later, every merc was dead, including the krogan bouncer Wrex has threatened. Wrex drew his shotgun, and fired into the Krogan's head plate. It blasted apart, exposing some bits of brain. Wrex grunted, satisfied with his handiwork, and holstered his shotgun. Shepard walked past him towards a door, Garrus close behind. He paused next to the krogan corpse, and a disgusted noise escaped him. Wrex chuckled humorlessly.

"What's the matter turian? Weak stomach?"

Garrus stared at Wrex, wanting to say something spiteful towards the krogan, but was interrupted by Shepard, who was standing at the door in the back, hacking.

Shepard knew where this was headed. He knew there was animosity between then because of what the turians did thousands of years ago. The turians had deployed a virus called the genophage, which quickly almost stopped the krogan birth rate. It made only 1 out of 1000 births viable.

Shepard spoke in a commanding tone. "Garrus! Wrex! Put aside your differences now! We have a job to do. I have a quarian to find, and Wrex has a contract to fulfill! Now shut the hell up and let's go!" Shepard stood up and looked at them both. Wrex gave Garrus another spiteful look before grunting in agreement.

Garrus sighed. "Alright Shepard, you made your point."

"Good. I won't have my squad fighting each other." He spoke curtly, and waited for Wrex and Garrus to catch up with him, before he opened the door. Immediately they found themselves at gunpoint, and Shepard drew his pistol, Wrex his shotgun, and Garrus his AR.

"Stop! Don't come any closer! I'll.. I'll shoot!"

There were two humans, both extremely youthful. They wore no armor, instead wearing clothes. Shepard sighed mentally. _Workers,looks like their 18, little more than boys who just reached manhood. _

"Do you really think it's worth dying for Fist?"

The first boy, hesitated, then withdrew his pistol. The second boy followed suit.

"No way man. I just turned 18. No way I'm dying yet."

Shepard nodded behind him.

"Get moving."

Both boys ran past him and his squad. Shepard put his pistol away, and drew his AR.

"Should have just shot them. Would have been easier."

"I don't kill innocents, Wrex." Shepard's tone brooked no argument and he turned to glare Wrex. Wrex narrowed his eyes, and glared back._ Hah! I like this human! He's got a quad, that's for damn sure. _

Wrex grunted and broke contact first, signaling Shepard that he won. Shepard nodded. He turned back towards where Fist's office would be, and walked off to the door. He opened it, and walked out until he was in the back center of the room. He saw Fist, a smug grin on his face, as he typed a command into his omnitool. 3 rocket drones, military issue, appeared, and began firing. Shepard's eyes widened and he dived for cover behind a pillar. The spot that he had just been in exploded with smoke, and he began overloading the drones by mass , sticking true to himself, charged right in. Garrus took cover behind another pillar some feet to his right, and was firing on the drone closest to him. Wrex ran up to Fist, and pummeled his shield with flak from his shotgun. Fist dove for cover behind a couch, which Wrex promptly flipped, soaring over his head, and crashing into the third rocket drone. It crumbled under the couch, shutting down permanently. Seconds later the two other drones exploded, a second between each one, and Wrex grabbed fist by the neck, lifting him up into the air, squeezing the air out of him.

Shepard ran up and pulled on Wrex's arm.

"Wrex, stand down! I still need to question him!"

Wrex snapped his head towards Shepard, and glared at him. Slowly, the rage in his eyes died down, replaced with calm fury and intelligence. Wrex dropped Fist, and he fell to his knees, gasping for air. Shepard's face contorted into one that would brook no stalling. He grabbed Fist and lifted him by the shoulder, driving him into a wall. Fist gasped out in pain, still recovering from Wrex's stranglehold. Wrex stood back with his arms folded, while Garrus went to work on his Fist's private computer. Fist returned his gaze to the man pinning him, and he visibly blanched. _He's going to kill me if I don't tell him what he wants to know!_

Fist cried out, "Wait please! Don't kill me! I'll tell you what you want to know!"

Shepard spoke through gritted teeth. _This man is a coward._

"the quarian! WHERE IS SHE?" Shepard yelled into his face, and the Fist was beginning to panic. He began speaking at breakneck speeds, frantically giving him the information he wanted.

"Shes in a back alley not far from here. She's supposed to be waiting for the Shadow Broker, but instead Saren's agents will be there, and they'll kill her and take the information from her and destroy it! You can still catch her though, if you hurry!"

Shepard dropped Fist, not realizing he had actually pinned him several inches above the ground. Fist looked at Shepard, then looked at Wrex fearfully.

"You got what you wanted. I get to live now… Right?"

Shepard was silent.

"Wrex. I believe you have a contract to fulfill." The words were quiet, but they sealed his fate. Wrex's lip curled into a sinister smile, and he advanced on Fist. Fist began whimpering, pleading for him to spare his life. Shepard turned to go, and garrus followed closely behind, an OSD in his hands. Fist's cries for mercy were cut short, as the sounds of breaking bones reached their ears.

* * *

Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya was nervous. She was currently in an alleyway, far from any crowds and people. The place was flooded with red light, and it gave the whole area a sinister feeling. She was nervously wringing her hands, when she heard a sound. A turian walked out from the stairway she was facing, and she glanced behind her to see two salarians in tech armor flanking her._ What is this? They aren't the Shadow Broker's forces. A third party? Oh Keelah…_

Outwardly, she remained unflustered, but her heart was thumping hard in her chest. The turian approached her, and spoke in a calm tone.

"Don't worry; we're not here to hurt you. Do you have the data?"

Tali knew something was up. They were going to try to kill her and take the data. She stood defiantly.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" Her voice was steely, and she tried her best to appear in control.

The turian put a talon on the shoulder, and started looking over her body. _Ugh. This turian is touching me like I'm some plaything!_ She slapped his hand away, and spoke her mind.

"No way. The deal is off. I was supposed to meet the Shadow Broker!"

The turian returned his gaze to her faceplate, and his eyes narrowed. He looked past her, at the two salarians, and have a short nod. They slowly began drawing their weapons, which was a big mistake. Tali quickly withdrew a tech mine from one of the many pockets her suit had, and tossed it at the salarians. She dived to her left and took cover behind some crates. The turian ran into cover parallel to her, and the salarians were working to restore their tech armor.

Suddenly, the salarian on the left dropped to his knees, his head completely gone. His companion gasped, and he too was dropped. _Oh ancestors what is going on? Is there another group of people trying to kill me?_ She looked up the stairs that led to Chora's Den, and saw a human, turian, and worst of all, a krogan. She quickly turned back to where the turian was hiding, only he wasn't there. As she turned to look around, the barrel of a pistol was placed on her faceplate. Tali closed her eyes._ Father, I'm sorry I failed you. Mother, I'll see you soon._ She waited for the resounding gunshot, and flinched when it happened. For a few seconds she was silent. She slowly opened her eyes, and realized she was still alive. She let out a breath of relief, and stiffened again when she heard footsteps.

She turned back around and saw the human male approaching her. He was tall and muscular. He carried himself with the authority of one who is in charge. His face was sprouting the beginnings of a beard, but she thought that made him seem sexier. Tali mentally reeled as she thought that._ Oh Keelah girl, you just met this man! For all you know he could still want to kill you! But if he did… why hasn't he done it yet?_ Tali realized she was on her knees, and tried to stand up, only to fall back down. Her knees felt weak, and her stomach was queasy. The human packed his sniper rifle up, and spoke to her squad.

"Garrus, keep a lookout. I don't want any more assassins attacking us." The turian the human called Garrus nodded, and took off to patrol the area. the human turned to the krogan and spoke again.

"Wrex, feel free to take anything you want from our friends on bleeding on the grounds. It's not like they will need their credit chits anymore." The human smiled at the krogan, who chuckled deeply, and shook his head.

"Got it, Shepard."

The human, Shepard, looked back down at Tali. His face was neutral for a second, before a warm smile split his face. Tali felt her face getting hot as she blushed from Shepard smiling at her. _Keelah his smile is sooo pretty._ Shepard offered a hand, and Tali took it. She was surprised at how gentle he was with her, not roughing her up by pulling too sharply. She stared into his eyes, a warm color of hazel, not too dark, not too light. She looked away, and mumbled.

"Th-Thank you, sir. For saving me."

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"Oh um.. No.. they didn't… Thank you for stopping that turian…"

He smiled warmly at her, a smile that melted her heart into a big gooey mess.

"It was my pleasure. Now, what is your name miss?"

Tali perked up, seeing the conversation heading towards less awkward terms.

"Oh! It's Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

Shepard grinned and replied," I'm Commander Shepard, and I hear you have some information Miss… Zorah? Or is it Miss Nar Rayya?"

Tali was pleasantly surprised that he bothered to ask her that. People never cared about what her name was, they only called her… less pleasant names.

"Well I guess it would be Miss Zorah, seeing as it's like your surnames, but we quarians are a social people, so call me Tali. But only if you want to! I mean… I don't know much about humans… maybe you would prefer Miss Zorah..." her voice trailed had a smile plastered on her face, and a quiet chuckle was heard. Tali's cheeks, which had just returned to their normal shade of lilac, quickly turned reverted back to their blushed state of deep lavender.

"Ok then, Tali."

Tali's heart went all fluttery when she heard him say her name. _Mmm his voice is so… soothing. It's so pleasant to hear._

"Excuse me. Tali?"

Tali returned to the real world, and shook her head angrily, frustrated she had drifted off daydreaming about Commander Shepard.

"Yes?"

"The data you were going to barter with. What is it?"

"Oh. Its evidence against someone named Saren."

She saw the Commander stiffen and call over Garrus and Wrex. He turned back to her, and spoke to the whole group.

"Ok, Tali here, has evidence pinning Saren against the wall. We're going up to the presidium and to the human ambassadors office to see the evidence, and hopefully schedule a meeting with the council."

Garrus's mandibles twitched, and he posed a question.

"Really? You have evidence against Saren?"

Tali nodded her head. Wrex seemed disinterested in the whole affair. Then again, krogan were hard to read.

"Alright, I'll take Tali up to the embassy. Garrus, Wrex, if you have business to take care of, I suggest you do it now."

Garrus thought for a second, then replied, "Yes I need to go to C-sec headquarters and negotiate myself for an absence while we go after Saren."

Wrex spoke, " I need to contact the Shadow Broker, and end my contract."

Shepard nodded to both of them. "Good go take care of it. Meet me back at the human embassy."

As soon as they left, Shepard turned back to Tali.  
"Ready to go, Tali?"

"Uh… Y-yes.."

Shepard frowned. _She seems extremely agitated. _

Shepard put a hand on her shoulder, and looked at her.

"Hey, is everything ok?"

_Oh Keelah he put his hand on me. It feels sooo nice. I can't even think properly._

Tali just nodded, and Shepard stared a while longer, concern etched on his face. He withdrew his hand, and Tali mentally pouted a bit about that.

"Well alright then. Let's go."

* * *

Shepard stood in the elevator, Tali a couple paces to his left. He peered at her from his peripheral vision,allowed himself to think now that they weren't in immediate danger. _So that's a quarian huh? I honestly don't see how they got such a bad galactic opinion. She was nice enough to me. She seems like a very jumpy person. Maybe it's the PTSD settling in._ First, Tali was in a full body suit. Everything was covered, but not well hidden. Her suit was skin tight, and showed her curves off very well. Her hips were wider than humans, and her body fit the hourglass figure many woman wanted. She was then, but not emaciated. In fact, her body was quite attractive. Her suit was all black, and was covered will overlapping cloth, giving her this sort of mystical appearance. She wore a helmet that completely shadowed her features. He could faintly make out the shape of a nose, and her luminous eyes. Her nose was slim, and very human-like. Her eyes were bright though, unlike humans. He turned his head to get a clearer view of Tali. She had 3 fingers on each hand, and two toes on each foot. Her legs were long, he could see how well built they were. _I can tell she is an excellent runner. Her physique is very nice. Slim, but powerful. And attractive, to say the least. _Shepard paused in his thoughts. _Really Shepard? You just met the girl… You don't even know anything about her. _Shepard was a little cross with himself, but the thought never strayed from his mind. Shepard mused quietly too himself. He would need to take some time to think clearly about this later.

Tali'Zorah was beyond nervous. She was standing alone with the man who had just saved her life. Not only that, she couldn't help but feel attracted to the man. _I mean he is very handsome for a human. The fleet described humans as barbaric, and forceful. But Commander Shepard was so gentle with me. I wonder if the fleet is wrong. Or if he's special. _Tali glanced over at Shepard who was standing arms behind his back, staring out through the glass of the elevator. Human facials expressions were extremely easy to read, and there were so many of them. As she studied his face, he saw his brow arch, and his lips upturn in a small frown. _ He's confused? Contemplating? What is he thinking about? _Tali didn't linger too long on that thought, and spread her gaze over all of him. His body was broad, much broader than any quarian, but he was still very lean. He was muscular, but Tali didn't know how much, because of his armor. She could tell he was strong, but gentle, tough, but caring. His face, was well set, his jawline well defined, and his facial hair all gave her the impression of a man who had seen many battles, but came out for the better. _Special. He's definitely special._ Tali sighed, but had herself muted, so Shepard didn't hear her.

Tali's feelings in turmoil over Shepard, and Shepard contemplating his thoughts of Tali, both stood silent, stealing glances at each other, and wondered where this journey would take them next.

* * *

**A/N**

**Holy cow. This was my longest chapter yet. Broke 5000 words, just like i expected. Anyways, i guess i'll finish it in the next chapter. The Tali and Shepard part kinda consumed me.  
**

**Poll. Vote. Pls.**

**REVIEW DAMNIT!**


	7. Chapter 6: Citadel Troubles pt 3

**A/N **

**Going through some anxiety issues right now, and experiencing some symptoms of depression. No worries, I still got you guys covered.**

* * *

_Chapter 8: Citadel Troubles pt 3_

Shepard and Tali both snapped back to reality as the elevator door slid up, permitting them into the Presidium. Shepard acted first, stepping out of the elevator, followed closely by Tali. Shepard took off in the direction of the embassies, making sure Tali was sticking close by. People gave Shepard a passing glance, but when they saw Tali, their eyes were filled with scorn, and quiet whispering was hard among the people.

Tali usually would be embarrassed by this, but now, she didn't really care. All that mattered was that she had important information for Shepard. Tali gazed around, taking in all the openness of the Presidium with shock. _Keelah this place is massive! Thousands of quarians could live here alone and barely see each other!_ They approached a large building with a decent sized reception area. On either side of the desk, there were two stairways , one leading to C-sec headquarters, a café, and a public terminal room. The right stairway led to the embassies of the volus and humans. Shepard took a seat at one of the many rows lined up in front of the receptionist desk, and motioned for Tali to do the same.

She hesitated shortly, before sitting down next to Shepard. Shepard was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, hands together in front of his face. Tali sat back in her seat, and idly watched her hands fiddle near her stomach. They were silent for a couple of minutes, only the idle chatter of other people filling the silence.

Tali spoke. "Commander Shepard?"

Shepard glanced back towards Tali, who was still wringing her hands together. Shepard sat back up, leveling himself with her, and replied, "Yes?"

Tali gulped down the knot in her throat. _He makes me so nervous just talking to me._ She stopped twirling her hands, and wrapped them around her midsection. "Why are we just waiting here? I mean, shouldn't we go meet with your ambassador? Not that I'm questioning your decision, I'm just… curious."

Shepard smiled as shook his head. "First off, call me Shepard. You don't need to have to call me by my military rank. I was never big on formality. Second, We're waiting for Garrus and Wrex to get here. As soon as they get here, we'll head right in." Shepard looked back at Tali, waiting for her to reply.

Tali hesitated. "But wouldn't it be disrespectful to not call you by your title, Comm- I mean Shepard."

Tali's tongue wasn't suited to saying Shepard, but she liked it. It was… unique. It gave her a sense of protection, like the Shepard meant he was a guardian.

Shepard shrugged.

"Well yeah, some other people would probably be offended. But I'm not like other people. I prefer to get along with people who work with me, Instead of a superior who demands."

Tali nodded, understanding the wisdom in his words. _In many ways, he reminds me of quarians. He is very strong leader, considering he has a krogan and turian working with him. But he is also friendly with them, and very social. Keelah, what I wouldn't give to learn more about him._

Before she could ask, another voice, flanged, like a turian, called out to Shepard.

"Commander!"

They both looked towards where the voice was emanating, and they saw Garrus striding to them, having come from the left side passage where C-sec was stationed. Shepard remained sitting, and Garrus sat down next to him.

"So, how did it go?"

Garrus had a confused tone in his voice.

"Surprisingly well, Commander. Executor Pallin said he would make sure I had enough time to bring Saren to justice. "

Shepard nodded. "Good. Now, stop calling me Commander. The Council will undoubtly send us to fight Saren and his geth, So let's drop the superiority barrier. Just call me Shepard."

Garrus was shocked at the proposal.

"But you are my superior! If I don't address you as so, It's extremely disrespectful!"

"Garrus, please. Call me Shepard. The only time I expect you to take orders from me is on combat missions. Other than that, you are free to do as you see fit. Besides, you aren't Alliance, So I technically can't order you to do anything."

Garrus looked down, and mumbled something.

"What was that, Garrus?"

"Nothing, Comman- I mean Shepard."

"See? That wasn't so hard was it?"

The joke was evident, but Garrus didn't respond. Shepard sighed. _I'm going to have to talk to Garrus about this. He needs to relax, and get that stick out of his ass._

Heavy footsteps were heard, and Wrex walked up from the direction behind Shepard, who was facing Garrus. Tali turned, and involuntarily shrunk away from him. Shepard just turned around and nodded at Wrex.

"Wrex."

"Shepard."

Shepard's lips twitched. _This is going to become a thing between Wrex and me, I can tell._

"How did it go?"

"I got my money."

"Good. What do you plan to do now?"

Wrex paused for a second.

"You're going to hunt down Saren."

It was more of a statement than a question, but Shepard responded nonetheless.

'Yes, the Council will probably send us against him, and even if they don't I'll do it myself."

Wrex grinned. "Then I'll be coming with you. You will be fighting a powerful foe,Shepard."

Shepard face split into a wide smile. He stood up and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I was hoping you would say that, Wrex."

* * *

"Firefights in the Wards, Shepard? An all-out assault on Chora's Den? You're not making my life easy, Shepard." Udina scowled, and glanced at the aliens gathered behind Shepard.

"What is this, Shepard? Why are they here?"

Shepard smiled smugly, and gestured for Tali to step forward.

"Making your day, Ambassador. She has evidence pinning Saren against the wall."

Udina raised an eyebrow, and his expression immediately changed into one of curiosity.

He looked at her in a new perspective, and spoke in a respectful tone.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning, Miss?"

"Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

"Well Miss Zorah, can you please explain how you came to handle such information?"

"Well, I am currently on my Pilgrimage."

Udina nodded, but this was the first time Shepard had heard about this "Pilgrimage". Before he could ask, Udina spoke again.

"Yes I've read about that. Some sort of test to prove one's worth, right?"

Tali hesitated. His description was very basic, and she decided to enlighten him further.

"Yes, essentially. But there is more to it."

Shepard spoke up.

"Such as?"

Tali looked at Shepard, and began speaking again.

"Well, a pilgrimage is a rite of passage for quarians who have begun their journey into adulthood. We are sent out to drift among the stars, and we must bring a gift back to our home, the flotilla."

Shepard nodded, accepting her description.

Udina interjected, impatience edged in his voice slightly.

"Yes, now please, Miss Zorah, continue."

"During my travels, I had heard that the geth were on the move, and since they were responsible for what happened to us, I got… curious. I tracked down a geth patrol on an uncharted planet. I isolated one of the geth units, and ambushed it, taking its memory core."

Shepard was impressed, but kept it hidden. _This young girl, who by all means is still a teenager, isolated a geth unit and ripped out its memory core? Amazing._

Anderson spoke up, confusion in his voice.

"I thought geth fried their memory cores. Some sort of self-defense mechanism."

Shepard frowned, and spoke.

"And you managed to salvage one? How did you pull that off?" he couldn't help let a little admiration into his voice. Fortunately, nobody seemed to notice. Except for maybe Tali.

Tali was inwardly beaming with pride, at hearing the slight tone of admiration in Shepard's voice. Nonetheless, she didn't show it, and kept up her façade.

"We created them. If you smart, fast, and a little lucky, you can salvage bits and pieces. Most of the core was wiped, but I managed to save an audio file."

She reached over to her right arm and activated her omni-tool. She activated it, and played the recording she had salvaged.

"Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought is one step closer to finding the Conduit." It was Saren's voice.

Shepard smiled viciously, and pounded his fist in his other hand.

"That's it! There's no way he can slither of out of this one!"

Tali interjected.

"Wait, there's more."

She played the recording again.

"Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."

"And one step closer to finding the Reapers." This voice was clearly female, and had an undercurrent of regalia in it.

Udina paused.

"I don't recognize that other voice, the one talking about Reapers."

Shepard paused, thinking furiously. _Why does that word seem familiar? Reapers…_

"Why does that word seem familiar?"

Tali spoke up, bringing up some bits and pieces of information from the geth memory core.

"The "reapers", are a sentient race of machines that wiped out the Protheans 50,000 years ago, and then vanished. The geth believe that Saren is their prophet, and that he can bring them back. Or, at least, that's what the geth believe." Tali ended nervously.

Udina was skeptical.

"That seems a little far-fetched."

But Shepard was already shaking his head.

"No. It's not."

He paused while everyone in the room stared at him. He cleared his throat and explained.

"The vision the beacon gave me. It makes sense. It was the reapers the vision showed me. It showed them butchering the Protheans, wiping them out."

Udina shook his head.

"The Council is going to love this." His voice was laden with sarcasm.

"It doesn't matter what the Council thinks. As long as they can get me after Saren, I can stop him before he does anything of the sorts."

Udina grudgingly nodded.

"Fair point, Shepard. Let me contact the Council."

Udina turned away from everyone, and Shepard and Anderson lounged about with Tali, Garrus , and Wrex.

Anderson spoke up.

"So Shepard, care to introduce me to your friends?"

Shepard chuckled, and pointed to each person, giving their name as he pointed.

"First up, is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. Second is the turian, Garrus Vakarian. He was investigating the case on Saren. Next up is Urdnot Wrex. I uh... helped him with a contract, and he helped me storm Chora's Den. Together, Me Garrus and Wrex managed to rescue Tali here, and stop Saren's assassins from robbing her of the evidence."

Anderson raised an eyebrow, and spoke to Tali.

"So, Shepard rescued you Miss Zorah?"

She nodded. She didn't know, but her voice was tinged with admiration for Shepard.

"Yes, he saved me."

Anderson chuckled and clapped a hand on Shepard's back.

"You never could resist rescuing damsels in distress."

Shepard laughed, but didn't reply. Inside, he quietly contemplated the way she spoke. The way she spoke suggested something, but Shepard couldn't place it. he shook his head, and returned his attention to reality.

Udina walked back over and announced, somewhat arrogantly, his success.

"Good news, the Council wants a meeting with us in 5 minutes. The evidence we presented them caught their attention fast. Good work, Shepard."

Shepard nodded, and together everyone proceeded out of Udina's office. They walked to the elevator leading to the Council Tower, and rode it up.

* * *

They rode up in silence, until the elevator slowed, and the door slid open. Udina stepped out and turned to face the group as they too stepped out.

"Shepard, I'm afraid I must ask your crew to stay behind and not attend the meeting. They must stay at the bottom of the stairs, unfortunately. However, you can bring Miss Zorah, considering it was due to her we are even having this meeting."

Shepard nodded, and turned to Garrus and Wrex. Garrus nodded, understanding the need to stay behind. Wrex just shrugged, indifferent to it all.

Shepard began walking to catch up with Udina and Anderson, who had already taken off towards the Council chamber. Tali walked slightly behind him to his left, half a pace behind. They climbed the stairs, and they Udina stepped right out onto the edge of the platform for guests to the chamber. Anderson stayed near the ramp that lead out onto the platform, and Shepard and Tali positioned themselves somewhere in the middle.

The Council filed out, slow and regal in their movements. They stopped in front of their respective terminals, and Councilor Tevos, the asari, played the recording once more.

As Saren's voice rang out, confirming his treachery, Udina allowed a smug grin to plaster his face. As it ended, Udina raised a finger and pointed towards the council.

"You wanted proof?" Udina practically shouted. "There it is!"

The turian Councilor spoke, the shame in his voice evident.

"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador." Sparatus grudgingly admitted. "saren will be stripped of his Spectre rank and all assests that came with it."

Tevos spoke up again. "I recognized that other voice. It is Matriarch Benezia. A powerful asari with many followers. If she has joined Saren, then he is indeed very powerful."

Shepard narrowed his eyes, and stepped forward.

"What about the Reapers? Saren intends to bring them back."

Valern, the salarian councilor, shook her head.

"The Reapers are obviously a myth, a figurehead that Saren is using to control the geth."

"They are not a myth. My vision of Eden Prime confirms the Reapers existence. They were here 50,000 years ago, and wiped out the Protheans."

Valern nodded her head grudgingly.

"The leading theory on how Protheans communicated is they transmitted information directly to the mind."

Tevos spoke up now.

"But this hardly proves anything. If you could offer more tangible evidence that these… "reapers" are real, then we would consider taking action. But for now, You proved Saren a traitor to the council. He no longer has the powers of a Spectre."

Udina furrowed his brow. "That's not good enough! You know he is out hiding in the Traverse! Send your fleet in!"

Tevos remained calm under Udina's fiery words, and responded.

"A fleet is hardly needed to hunt one man."

Udina ground his teeth together, and revised his strategy.

"Sending a fleet into the Traverse would protect and discourage any more attacks on human colonies."

Sparatus spoke up, his voice back to its normal snarky tone.

"Or it could start a war with the Terminus Systems! Humanity knew the risks of colonizing outside Council Space. All-out war is not worth protecting a few hundred colonies."

Shepard interjected, angry at how callous the turian councilor was being.

"What!? Are you always this callous with lives, _Councilor?"_ Shepard spat out the word with as much venom as he could muster.

Tevos glared at Sparatus with disapproval, before turning back to Shepard.

"Unfortunately, the Councilor is correct. We cannot send a fleet into the Traverse."

Shepard turned his sudden anger at the asari councilor.

"Everytime Humanity asks for aid, you ignore them! What if they were turian colonies? You would go and protect them wouldn't you? Why is humanity being treated as second-class?"

Udina followed up behind Shepard, continuing his tirade.

"Shepard's right! I'm sick of this Council's anti-human bulls-"

"Ambassador, wait! There is another solution."

Tevos interrupted Udina before he could say something… displeasing… in front of the Council. She glanced at Sparatus, who automatically understood what she asked.

"No! Humanity isn't ready for this! Humanity isn't ready to join the Spectres."

Shepard was surprised. _I completely forgot about the Spectres. But it makes sense. Humanity gets its Spectre, and the Council doesn't have to send a fleet in._

Shepard decided to voice his thoughts.

"It makes sense. Humanity gets its human Spectre, and the Council doesn't have to use resources and send a fleet in."

Sparatus glared at Shepard, before shifting his gaze, and nodding imperceptibly at Tevos. She glanced to her other side at Councilor Valern, the salarian. She nodded, not feeling the need to speak up. Tevos looked back over Shepard, and spoke.

"Commander Shepard, please step forward."

As Shepard stepped forward, he noticed people on the balconies, and more than a few cameras were stationed around. _Great. Just what I need. Media attention. I hate reporters._

He stood at attention. Tevos began speaking.

"It is the decision of the council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel."

Valern spoke.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whos actions elevate them about the rank and file."

The speech returned to Tevos.

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will."

Sparatus finally spoke, his voice still somewhat bitter at the current events.

"Spectres bear a great burden, They are the protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold."

Tevos began the conclusion of the speech.

"You are the first human spectre, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species."

Shepard bowed his head.

"I'm honored, Councilor."

Valern spoke.

"We are sending you into the Traverse after Saren. He is a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him."

Shepard allowed a grin onto his face.

"With pleasure, Councilor."

"This meeting of the Council is adjourned." Tevos and the Councilors walked off their elevated platform, leaving Shepard to his task.

* * *

Tali was awestruck. _Shepard is a Spectre now. A Spectre! Keelah how many quarians can say they've met a Spectre?_

The Councilors turned to leave, and Udina walked back to Anderson. Shepard stopped by Tali, and broad smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile back, despite having her faceplate obscure it.

"Wow. You're a Spectre now, Shepard. How do you feel?"

Shepard shrugged, that smile still on his face.

"I feel pretty honored, but I really want to get out there and catch Saren."

Shepard's smile faded away, and Tali frowned. _I hate it when he doesn't smile. Always makes me feel like I did something wrong._ Alarm bells rang off in her mind. _ Oh Keelah did I do something wrong?_

Shepard asked her a question.

"So what do you plan to do now? You still have your Pilgrimage right?"

Tali couldn't help but notice a hint of sadness in his voice. _Is he sad that I might leave? No of course not, you're just imagining things Tali._

"Well yes, I do. But how I spend my Pilgrimage is up to me. And I would like to... um… Ah I would... Keelah it's hot in here… I would like to accompany you on your mission." Tali was extremely nervous. His response could impact her Pilgrimage in a massive way. _He's going off to fight the geth! If I could find any information of the geth, it could bring us one step closer to getting our homeworld back._

Shepard frowned. _She wants to join me on my mission? She just reached adulthood! Or has she? for all I know she could still be a teenager, way too young for combat. _

"Do you have combat training?"

"Yes, all our pilgrims are trained in combat situations."

_Well there's that problem. Now, how do I ask her how old she is, without offending her? _Shepard, hesitated, then started speaking slowly, taking great care not to say anything that could insult her.

"Tali, before I give you an answer, I need to know how… um… old you are. I don't want to take you along only to get you killed while you still have your whole life ahead of you."

Tali cocked her head. _How old am I? Why would that matter? Is he worried I might be too inexperienced? _

I'm 22, Shepard." Her voice held suspicion.

Shepard immediately put his hands up, a sign that he was backing off.

"I'm sorry Tali," he said apologetically."I just wanted to make sure you know the dangers that we are going to be facing."

Tali changed her mood, understanding why Shepard had asked her.

"It's ok Shepard, I understand. And don't worry about me. I can handle myself."

Shepard looked into her eyes, and gave her a smile. He took off down the stairs, going down to where Anderson and Udina were talking.

Unbeknownst to Shepard, That smile was the one that melted the hearts of women. Tali's heart fluttered seeing that smile, and her legs threatened to turn into wet noodles. She regained control of her body, and quickly looked around; making sure no one had seen that. She quickly took off down the stairs, keeping her visor down. For the next hour, Tali's thoughts were consumed by that smile.

* * *

Tali gaped in amazement at the ship in front of her. _Ancestors, this ship is amazing! It's so new and polished. I wonder if Shepard will let me see its inner workings. _Doubt began to worm its way into her head. _Of course he wouldn't. I'm a quarian. He probably thinks I'm going to steal something._

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, and turned her attention back to the _Normandy._ They were currently at Dock 422, the berth designated specifically for the frigate. Anderson and Udina were there, and they had arranged for Shepard everything he needed in an extremely short time. As she glanced over to them, she caught a few words. Something about Anderson giving Shepard the ship. Her eyes widened at the thought. She turned her audio receptors up to better hear the conversation.

"What? Your giving me the ship, Anderson? I can't take it; the Normandy's is yours, Sir!"

"Shepard, listen to me. You need the Alliance's fastest ship if you're going to catch Saren. Plus, you need a ship with stealth capabilities so Saren won't see you coming. It's only logical that you take the ship."

Shepard was about to protest, before stopping and letting himself think about it. _You know he's right Shepard. It only makes sense he gives it to you. And besides, you were going to take over for Anderson anyways when he would eventually become an Admiral._

Shepard sighed.

"Alright Anderson. I don't like it, but you've made your point."

Anderson nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Good. Now, before you go, we have some leads for you to act upon."

Udina took up his cue, and started.

"The planet Feros has gone dark, and their have been reports of geth near the planet. Checking there would be a good start. Also, Matriarch Benezia, Saren's accomplice, has been seen frequenting Port Hanshan on Noveria. Capturing her could prove invaluable."

"Also, we did a little research on her. She has a daughter, Dr. Liara T'soni, majors in anything and everything Prothean. She was last heard of chartering passage into the Artemis Tau Cluster, but we soon lost her after that. Still, it could be worth pursuing."

Shepard but his gloved hand up to his chin.

"Alright, Ambassador, Anderson, I'll check those places out."

Shepard peered around him. Wrex was leaning on a wall next to the elevator leading to the private dock, and Garrus was studying the _Normandy's _weapons. He glanced to the right and saw Tali, leaning against the guardrail. Somewhere in his mind, a voice was telling him to go to her. He felt himself complying, until Udina spoke again.

"Remember Shepard, your actions not only reflect on you, but all of humanity, so don't make humanity look foolish."

Shepard glared at Udina, and spoke, venom is his voice.

"My purpose isn't to make humanity look good, Ambassador, I'm here to bring justice to Saren how I see fit."

He strode off, leaving Udina effectively, cowed, before he mumbled darkly and turned to leave through the elevator. Anderson went to stop Shepard, but thought better of it. _I'll contact him later._ He strode off into the elevator with Udina, and hit the button.

Tali heard Shepard walking up to her, and she quickly adjusted her audio receptors to their normal level. He leaned on the guardrail right next to her, their arms nearly touching. His forearms were on the rail, while his hands were clasped together over empty space. Tali was similarily placed, but her hands were dangling.

Silence reigned for a bit, before Shepard broke the silence.

"Beautiful, isn't she?"

Tali nodded, and started shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

"Yes she truly is amazing." _Like you._ She glanced out her peripherals at Shepard. He didn't have his helmet on; he had taken it off during the meeting with Udina in his office. She saw his face undeterred for the first time. _Keelah, I thought he couldn't get any more handsome._ He had short black hair, and it was growing out from being buzz cut. It was slightly matted and sticking out in random places, but it still fit him perfectly. His eyes, were still the same color of hazel she had seen earlier. Everything else was just the same as she had seen, but the addition of hair made him seem even more… alluring.

Tali sighed. _Keelah I need to get over this crush. He would never choose me as a mate. I'm a quarian._

Unfortunately Shepard heard her sigh.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Tali's felt like a hand was squeezing her heart. She desperately wanted to tell him the truth, but her mind took control, and she spoke.

"Nothing. " She lied.

Shepard stared at her for a few more seconds, before dropping the matter.. _If she won't tell me, I won't pursue it._

"Alright, well come on. Let's introduce you into the interior of the _Normandy."_

* * *

**A/N **

**Yay Citadel Troubles are over! Shepard is a Spectre now, Tali is in anguish over her infatuation with Shepard, and Shepard has the thoughts locked away for now. Finally, we get to the fun part.**

**Review please.**

**P.S I've decided on what Shepard's name is going to be. When I reveal it, I'll drop an A/N at the end and tell you the story of how I chose it. Just so you know.**


	8. Chapter 7: Aboard The Normandy

**A/N **

**Ok so I am currently very bored. It's 9:14 PM here, and I basically said, "Fuck it, I'll write another chapter."**

**Sooo here ya go. Enjoy! **

**And you better review, before I inject thresher maw acid into your bloodstream.**

* * *

_Chapter 7: Aboard The Normandy_

Shepard stepped into the decontamination room, followed by Tali, Wrex and Garrus. Each person maintained a certain distance between each other, but not in the avoiding sense. It was more along the lines of respectfully keeping their distance. As the room was scanned and all foreign bacteria neutralized, Tali made a mental check. _A room that could double as a clean room. Have to keep that in mind._ The scan finally stopped, and the door in front of them opened.

Shepard stepped out into the cockpit of the Normandy, and quietly made his way to Joker, who was currently playing Galaxy of Fantasy. He could see Joker's face reflecting off the screen, and had to stifle a laugh. Joker had a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face, completely engrossed in the game.

"Hey Joker."

Joker quickly turned off the game, and swiped the screen on to the side, blustering, trying to come up with an excuse.

"Oh Christ, uh hey Commander. Mind warning me next time you sneak up on me?"

Shepard laughed out loud, and stepped back, revealing the new members of the _Normandy._

"I thought you might like to meet some new crew members I enlisted."

As Joker gave them a look over, he couldn't help but think how the hell Shepard got a krogan._ So did Shepard beat him in a drinking contest or something?_

Joker looked back at Shepard, and shook his head.

"How the hell did you get them to join?"

Shepard grinned.

"Well one of them want's Saren brought to justice. That would be Garrus Vakarian, the turian. Another one is looking for a good fight, which I can apparently provide. That would be Urdnot Wrex. Don't think I need to point him out. And finally, we have Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. She ah convinced me that she would be useful."

Joker looked back at Shepard over his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow, and Shepard sighed.

"Alright, look. She gave us the information that pinned Saren a traitor, and she asked to come along. Besides, she told me she has military training. And I believe her."

Joker stared for another second, before turning back to his monitor.

"Alright then, Commander. Let me know when you want to get this show on the road."

Shepard turned back to the trio, who watched the exchange with interest, or in Wrex's case, disinterest.

"Alright, you three, since none of you three are Alliance personnel, I don't have any work stations open for you, so for now, you guys can lay about until you find something to pass the time. Our sleeper pods are specifically human, so that puts Garrus and Wrex out of the question. I'll requisition some cots for you two. Tali, I think you should be fine with sleeper pods."

Garrus, Wrex and Tali all nodded.

"Alright, why don't you guys head down to the cargo bay? I'll be calling a meeting of everyone on my ground team, which includes you three, so don't get too busy."

Garrus and Wrex turned to leave, and Shepard watched for a while. _I seriously hope those two don't butt heads and destroy my cargo bay._ He noticed that only two people left, and looked back to Tali. She was nervously wringing her hands together again. _Must be a habit._ He smiled and spoke to her.

"What's up Tali?"

Tali cocked her head, confused.

"What does "what's up?" mean, Shepard?"

"Ha, right, not human. It means, how is everything, or how can I help you."

"Oh. Um… right. Anyways, I would like to work down in Engineering if possible. It's just, this ship is so amazing, and I am quite proficient with tech, "

"Tali."

"It comes with being a quarian but I would understand if you would prefer I don't,"

"Tali."

"I mean this is a very advanced vessel, and I know that we quarians have a bad reputation-"

"Tali!" Tali finally stopped talking, realizing she had been rambling on for quite some time. She looked down at her feet, and her hands started tethering together.

Shepard, on an impulse, stepped closer to Tali, until only a footstep of space was between them. He looked down at her. Her head was still facing down, but she was visibly stiff. He put a finger under where her chin would be, and lifted her head until they were both staring into each other's eyes. He stared for a few seconds, before speaking.

"Tali, it's ok. You are the first quarian I've ever met and you have been extremely polite, and quite resourceful. If you want to work in engineering, go ahead. Also, if you have any problems with the crew being...Judgmental… let me know. I'll sort it out."

Shepard smiled, staring deep into her eyes._ I could stare into her eyes for days._ Her eyes shone bright with emotion, as she realized Shepard had given her permission. However, she didn't step away. They stayed close together, Shepard still cupping her chin, until a cough broke the silence. Shepard closed his eyes, inwardly seething towards Joker, but he sighed, and opened his eyes to find Tali distancing herself. She quietly muttered something, before taking off down towards the cargo bay elevator. Shepard sighed, this time louder than the first, and turned back towards Joker.

"Ok Joker, let's get out of here."

"Aye aye, Commander. So uh, what was that all about?"

Shepard's glare could have pierced the hull of the _Normandy._

"I don't know what you're talking about, Flight Lieutenant."

Joker took the hint. "Got it."

Joker attempted to change the subject.

"I heard about what happened to Anderson. Survives a hundred battles only to get taken down by politics."

Shepard shook his head.

"It wasn't out of politics, it was because I needed the best, and the _Normandy _is the best. He stepped aside because he had wanted to make sure I would succeed with a trustworthy crew at my back."

Joker closed his eyes, mentally beating himself up._ Just had to bring up Anderson, didn't you?_

"So you want to give a motivational speech to the crew? Boost their morale?"

Shepard paused, collecting his thoughts and forming a speech in his mind. As he did so, he glanced down at Joker, and decided to pull his leg.

"That's the first intelligent thing I've heard you say today, Joker."

"Hardy har har, Commander. Just hit the comm whenever you're ready."

Shepard paused, making sure he was well-prepared, before leaning down and hitting the ship wide comm.

"Attention crew of the Normandy…"

* * *

"…Let me know. I'll sort it out." Shepard finished speaking, his voice soft, and gentle. She didn't say anything, her emotions overriding her mind from forming any coherent thoughts or sentences. Tali simply stared back into his hazel eyes. They held each other's gaze, until an awkward cough echoed through the cockpit. Shepard closed his eyes, and Tali suddenly regained her mind. She saw that Shepard was still cupping her helmet, and she lightly disengaged it.

"I'll um... Ahem. Head down to Engineering." She turned to leave before he could reply. She quickly paced past human crew members, not noticing the looks and glares she got from them. She ran down the stairs, and opened the elevator, stepping inside, rapidly hitting the button. She backed up against the back of the elevator, and groaned, sliding down the wall until she sat down, her knees pressed to her chest. _What was that… Is it even possible that he could like me back? There is no way he could. The most we could ever be would be friends, and that's if he even wanted that._ A voice in Tali's head told her that was definitely something he wanted. She groaned again, and sat back up as the elevator reached the cargo bay. She decided to focus on learning about the _Normandy_ and reserve her thoughts until later. The elevator opened, and she stepped out, glancing over the cargo bay area. To her right, was an armored vehicle, very sturdy looking, and a massive gun located on its top. Garrus was right next to it, a terminal placed a few inches from where the vehicle was parked. He looked over the vehicle in… admiration? _Turian facial expressions are hard to read._ She turned her gaze to the left, and saw a row of lockers situated next to a tough looking human female. She took no notice of Tali, diligently cleaning her rifle, and Tali shifted her gaze again to her extreme left. She saw Wrex, leaning against a stack of crates, showing little interest, but she was only guessing. _Krogan are even harder to read._ She took off towards her left, seeing a path leading to an area behind the cargo bay. _I really hope this leads to engineering._ She opened the door, and gasped in amazement.

In front of her stood a platform with several terminals, and several humans working at the terminals. In front of them was a massive drive core, electricity lighting up the entire area. A faint humming sound issued from the drive core, and Tali slowly walked forward, gazing at the core in wonder. The sound of someone clearing their throat brought her out of her reverie, and she spun around. In front of her was another human male, but he seemed older than most of the other crew. He smiled at her, and offered a hand out. Tali hesitated, before placed her hand in his and shaking. _Humans are very personal. They have a lot of ways of communicating through touch. _

Ever since humanity first joined the galactic community, their ways of communicating through physical connection became widely popular, especially the hand shake. Everyone on the Citadel, and those who frequented in often, knew of the hand shake. It was a simple human way of greeting, and yet was vastly popular with every other species. They withdrew hands, and the man spoke up.

"Hello, my name is Adams, and I'm Chief Engineer. How can I help you?"

"Oh um Shep- I mean the Commander said I could work down here in engineering."

"Really? You're a quarian right? I hear you guys are really good with tech."

Tali shook her head, not fully understanding what he was saying. _I need to research some human sayings later. I mean I am clearly a girl, not a "guy"._

"Yes, all quarians are excellent with tech."

"Great! Why don't you take that terminal over there," Adams pointed towards a terminal in the left hand corner of the room." And let me know if you see anything out of place." Adams smiled at her once more, before returning to his overlord terminal, monitoring the other human workers. She moved off to the terminal he had designated, and was about to open it up, when a Shepard's voice filled the air.

"Attention crew of the _Normandy_."

Tali saw everyone else in the room pause what they were doing, listening intently. She withdrew her hands, which were hovering over the terminal, and leaned back against the wall, her arms holding her sides.

Shepard's voice rang out overhead again.

"This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders; find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you; this mission isn't going to be easy. For too long, our species has stood apart from the others. Now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy! Time to show them what humans are made of!"

A pause ensued, letting the words of Shepard sink in. Tali shifted against the wall, finding a more comfortable position.

"Our enemy knows we're coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them too. Humanity needs to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel space. Saren must be stopped. And I promise you… We will stop him!"

Cheering ensued hearing Shepard's promise to them, and many of them went back to work with new determination and vigor. Tali shook her head, amazed once again with Shepard. _Keelah, no wonder I can't stop thinking about this man._ She turned back to the terminal, eager to learn about the _Normandy,_ only to be foiled once more. Shepard's voice rang out one last time.

"I want my ground team assembled in the mess hall for a meeting. Now."

The comm crackled off, and Tali sighed. _Until next time._ As she rounded the corner, she saw Garrus move into the elevator, and quickly slipped in, noting that Wrex and that tough looking female were already there. She noticed the human was somewhat agitated by their presence. She kept inching away from Wrex, and away from Garrus and Tali.

As the elevator reached the upper deck, She practically bolted out, and turning the corner disappearing from view. Wrex followed her, while Garrus turned to the left instead. She followed Garrus, and rounded the corner, and explored the area with her eyes. It was a somewhat open area, but also cramped. To her left, she saw a door leading to a different room, which she surmised as the Captains quarters. In front of her was the medbay, and but it was behind a closed door, so she didn't see much in the back was a double row of sleeper pods, a row on either side. Immediately close by, was the mess hall table. It was approximately 8 chairs, all fitted for humans.

She saw that Shepard was already seated and waiting for them. He chose a chair in the middle, his back facing the sleeper pods, and directly opposite of him was another human male. The tough female from earlier at the "head" of the table, and Wrex was leaning against the wall that housed the elevator. Garrus took a seat at the other side of the table, facing the human female. Tali strode over to where Shepard was sitting, and sat next to him.

He glanced at her from his laidback position, and winked at her._ Hmm I need to look up what that means. Humans are so complex._ She sat back and relaxed, waiting for Shepard to speak. She smiled back at him, despite her faceplate still obscuring it. _Still, it doesn't hurt to smile, even if only I know it._ She patiently waited as Shepard turned his attention to everyone in front of him, and began to speak.

* * *

As Shepard hung up the comm, Joker spoke up.

"Not bad Commander. If we ever need to defeat our enemies with speeches, we have just the guy."

"Hey I didn't think it was that bad." Shepard had a lopsided smile in his face.

"I know by all means, it was great Commander." Joker's voice got serious. "Anderson would have been proud."

Shepard became somber, and replied, "I know. We can't fail now. Not after how much he has sacrificed."

Shepard leaned back down towards the comm, remembering the meeting he wanted to have before everyone got too comfortable. He opened the comm, and announced his plan.

"I want my ground team assembled in the mess hall for a meeting. Now."

He closed the comm channel, and spoke to Joker.

"Joker, get us to the Artemis Tau Cluster. We have an asari archaeologist to rescue."

Joker raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him.

"I'll talk to you later Joker."

"See ya Commander."

* * *

Shepard rushed down to the mess hall, sitting down just seconds before the cargo bay elevator arrived. He saw Kaidan had already chosen a seat, directly across from Shepard, who opted for the middle chair facing the path to the elevator. He saw Ashley practically rocket in, choosing a seat closest to her.

Wrex followed behind her, and upon seeing the chairs, placed himself with his back to the wall of the elevator. Next came Garrus and Tali, coming from the other side. Garrus opted for sitting directly opposite of Ashley, but Tali chose to sit right next to him. He glanced at her, and winked. He couldn't tell but he was sure she had smiled at him. _What is it about this girl? I really need to speak with her. I need to learn more about her before I can ever consider pursuing her. Wait what? Am I seriously considering this? For all you know, she is cowed by you. You don't even know if she likes you back! But then why did she didn't she move away during that little… episode by the airlock?_

He pushed aside the thought, and turned his attention back to the group gathered before him.

"Alright, I gathered you guys here to get everyone acquainted without someone in a life threatening situation."

Wrex chuckled. "I prefer those greetings over regular ones."

Shepard smiled thinly, and replied, "Well I for one would like some "regular" meet and greet."

"Ok first up, Kaidan, Ashley, introduce yourselves."

Both Kaidan and Ashley hesitated, but Kaidan reacted first. Kaidan remained seated, but he looked over each person gather at the table, giving them all a friendly nod.

"Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko."

Ashley was more rigid, stiffening her back until it was straight, and recited her lines.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams."

Shepard sighed. "You need to loosen up, Ashley. We're all crew mates here."

Ashley let out a pent-up breath, and relaxed herself into her chair.

"Alright, Shepard."

"Ok, Tali Garrus, Wrex, you're up."

Tali sat up a little bit straighter in her seat, and quoted her name.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."

Shepard hadn't noticed it before, but she had an accent. Or at least, his translator gave him one. Apparently, she had a 'Slavic eastern European accent'. Shepard had no idea what that meant, but he liked her accent. It fit her perfectly.

Garrus was like Ashley, he had himself rigid and spoke his name.

"Garrus Vakarian."

"Relax Garrus, remember, I'm not your superior here. Be your own person. Don't conform to fit yourself into some rules and regulations."

Garrus slightly slumped his shoulders, and a small sigh escaped his mouth.

"Sorry Comm- Shepard. It might take me some time to get used to this."

"It's fine Garrus. We aren't as rigid as turians, so take your time getting accustomed to how I lead."

Wrex grunted, and stood up off the wall.

"Urdnot Wrex."

"Ok now, I want you to remember each other's names, because you guys are all part of my ground team, so many of you will be working together."

"Ok next up, weapon choices. I know what Ashley and Kaidan prefer, and I have a general idea of what Garrus and Wrex want, it's only Tali who I didn't get to see shoot. Wrex, I noticed you like the shotgun."

Wrex nodded. "A shotgun is a krogan's best friend."

"Good, I also noticed you're a biotic."

Wrex shrugged. "Yeah I got some biotics."

Ashley spoke up, curiousity overcoming her.

"I didn't know krogans had biotic potential." Her voice was tinged with fear, but only those of expert hearing could hear it. Wrex shrugged, indifferent to her curiousity.

Shepard continued with Garrus.

"Ok Garrus, I noticed you're a pretty good shot. I assume you prefer the sniper rifle, and maybe assault rifle?"

Garrus's mandibles twitched in astonishment.

"You got all that from me using an assault rifle and pistol?"

Shepard shrugged, a lopsided grin on his face.

"I see things, and I recognize patterns."

Garrus shook his head in disbelief, and nodded.

"Yeah I prefer a sniper rifle, but if not I would probably use an AR."

"Good. I'll make sure you guys get stronger weapons than the ones you already have requisitioned."

Garrus was about to protest, saying he didn't have to do that, but he saw the look in Shepard's eye, and knew he would brook no argument on this matter. Shepard glanced around to everyone else at the table, and spoke.

"Ok well I think that should be enough for now, why don't you guys go back to your posts, or wherever, and just wait until the next combat mission?"

Kaidan and Ashley both stood up and nodded, before returning to their positions in the mess hall and cargo bay, respectively. Wrex just strode off towards the elevator, and Garrus stood up and saluted to Shepard, before joining Wrex and Ashley. Shepard frowned. _He really needs to loosen up._ As his gaze returned to Tali, he saw she was already looking at him, a questioning light in her eyes. Shepard chuckled, and spoke.

"Don't worry Tali, I just wanted to learn a little more about you."

Tali nodded, and relaxed in her seat.

"What do you want to know?"

Shepard put a finger to his chin, and he gazed thoughtfully at the wall in front of him. A million questions were in his mind, but he settled for a only a few.

"Ok first, how good are you with tech?"

Tali shrugged. "I'm about as good as any other quarian Shepard."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. _She's lying. She's not giving herself enough credit._

"Alright, What weapon would you prefer?"

Tali paused thoughtfully, before finally giving her answer.

"Shotgun. I have to get close for my tech to be useful."

Shepard nodded, seeing the logic behind it. He decided to start learning more about her and her people.

"Ok, Can you tell me about your home? You called it the flotilla?"

"Yes, the flotilla, or Migrant Fleet, is home to the remnants of the quarian race. 17 million people live aboards hundreds of ships ranging from old to new. I was born on 1 of the 3 liveships, the _Rayya._"

"Wait. 17 million? Why are there so few quarians?"

Tali scowled in her helmet. Her voice was bitter.

"You really don't know anything about quarians?"

"No, I don't."

Tali felt her scowl slip away, and she sighed tiredly.

"300 years ago, the geth were our servants. We created them to help us with physical labor. Unfortunately, they became too smart, and starting becoming self-aware AI. The quarians and geth fought a long bloody battle, but the geth drove us from our home world, decimating the population of 35 billion, reducing us to a mere 17 million. We were once a proud race. We were renowned for our tech skills, seen as the apex of technological advance. Then one mistake made by us, and our population is decimated, and we are treated as beggars and thieves."

Shepard was speechless. He didn't know what to say. Tali's voice was bitter, resentful. Shepard quietly stood up, and grabbed Tali by the shoulder, guiding her to stand up too. She stood up, and they faced each other, and Shepard could hear her sobbing quietly. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around Tali, trying to convey as much strength as he could. Tali tensed up for a second, but relaxed into his embrace, and wrapped her arms around his midsection. She placed her head on his chest,and Shepard placed his head near the side of hers. They stood like that for several seconds, before Shepard started whispering into her audio pickup.

"Tali, please stop crying. Look, I'm sorry I mentioned it. I shouldn't have asked you and hurt you like this. Can you forgive me?"

Tali took her head off his chest, and looked up at Shepard. Her arms were now by her side, but Shepard had moved his hands from Tali's back to her arms, and held her there.

"No Shepard, it's not your fault, it's just… the way quarians are treated now… We used to be respected, but now we are cast aside."

Tali lowered her head until she was looking down. Shepard moved his left hand until it cupped her helmet again, and brought it level with his eyes.

"Don't think like that. Don't live in the past. Think of the future, and fight for that. It doesn't matter what people say of your species now, what matters is what you are willing to do to change that."

Tali sniffled, and Shepard pulled her in for another embrace. She sighed, and melted into his arms. He broke away from her after a few seconds, and he stared into her eyes again.

"Go back down to Engineering, I know you're probably eager to check out the _Normandy's_ systems. But once your shift is over, come by my cabin, and we can work on helping the galaxy see how resourceful quarians are, OK?"

Tali silently nodded, and walked back to the elevator. Shepard stood there, pondering what had just transpired between them. _No, I comforted her as a friend, not a loved one. Besides she has her Pilgrimage thing. From what I gathered, it means she has to return to the flotilla at some point._ Shepard, frustrated about these emotions, entered his cabin, unaware that Kaidan had witnessed that whole exchange.

* * *

Tali stepped into the elevator, feeling much better. She had talked very bitterly about how her people were treated, and when Shepard had embraced her, she felt infinitely better. His body was very broad, and she could feel his hardened muscles. She was extremely surprised to say the least when he had done that. But that doesn't mean she didn't like it. She quietly pondered about what had transpired. _Could it be that he truly cares about me? Or was he just doing it as a friend? Oh Keelah why are these things so difficult to read?_ She was still upset about how her people were treated, but she felt better because of him. His ords swam around through her head. _Think about the future, and what you are willing to do. _She quietly sniffled, her somber mood slowly disappearing with the thought of seeing the _Normandy's _systems and if their feelings for each other were mutual. Her normal bubbly mood surfaced, and she practically skipped down to Engineering. As she approached the terminal Adams gave her, and tapped its interface and gasped. _Keelah. It's going to be a long shift._

* * *

**A/N**

**WOAH! Where did that last part come from! Yeah that last part between Tali and Shepard was made up on the spot. I started typing it and I just went along with the flow. I dunno, I kinda like how my brain wrote it for me. I hadn't even planned that. I don't even know why i wrote down the Kaidan witnessing it. My brain clearly knows something, but i can't find it's source, so i'll let it go and see how it plays out.  
**

**Please review, and Keelah Se'lai.**


	9. Chapter 8: Bad Memories

**A/N**

**Holy shitake mushrooms. We broke 1,000 views! Yay! Woke up to 362 views at 1 PM. Thanks for reading my story guys I appreciate it! Now comes a pretty important event for Shepard.**

**Review, and as always, Keelah Se'lai.**

* * *

_Chapter 8: Bad Memories pt 1_

Shepard sighed. It's been 48 hours of nonstop searching planets and star clusters looking for this Dr. Tsoni. She was proving to be extremely difficult to locate, but it wasn't all bad. Shepard and Tali had been spending some time together, talking all about her and her time aboard her home, The Migrant Fleet. She had told him about the government of the fleet, the open socialness of quarians, and their exceedingly vast knowledge of tech. She had shared information on how they kept even some of their ships 300 years old, and constant upgrade and modify them to improve them. She even told him about her father, a member of the Admiralty Board. Shepard smirked, as he remembered he had called Tali a princess. She had been indignant at first, before calling him a _bosh'tet, _gasped aloud as she realized what she said. Shepard just laughed it off, and told her it was fine. It didn't really matter what she said to him, as long as they talked. His mind wandered off towards more serious thoughts.

Shepard shook his head. _The Council members were fools for dispelling the quarians. Their people are the most resourceful of any other species._ Fortunately, Shepard's adviceto not focus on the past and present, but focus on the future seemed to have worked, and she hadn't spoken bitterly about how the quarians were treated. Shepard was snapped out of his reverie as Joker spoke.

"Hey Commander, I'm receiving a distress signal from the planet Edolus. It's Alliance issue."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow.

"Alliance? And were the first ones here?"

Joker shrugged. He had to admit though, that it was strange that they were the only ship in the system.

"Maybe it's been dormant for a while, and they just activated it?"

"It's a possibility, but I think that's highly unlikely."

Shepard paused for a few seconds, and spoke to Joker.

"Something doesn't feel right, but it would kill me to not check it out. Get ready to drop us in on the Mako."

"Aye aye, Commander."

* * *

Tali sighed, not a tired sigh, but a pleasant one. She checked her Omni-tool for the time. For the last two days, or 24 hour cycles, whenever her shift ended, she had gone up to the mess hall to speak with Shepard. He was very curious about her and her people, and she had told him things she would have never told anyone else. But she didn't regret it. In fact; she enjoyed her conversations with Shepard a lot. Ever since he had comforted her, she had opened up to him more. From what she already saw of Shepard, she knew he would not treat her any differently about anything she told him. She told him a lot about the fleet, but not everything. She thought about what time it was, and realized she hadn't really checked it. She opened her Omni-tool again, and actually paid attention to the time, which was 1200 Standard Ship Time (SST). _Four more hours to go._ She glanced around Engineering, and spotted Shepard speaking with Adams.

"Hey there Commander. You know that quarian over there? Tali?"

Shepard narrowed his eyes, but spoke in a level tone.

"Yes, what about her?"

"Well I must say Commander, She has quite a knack for this kind of stuff. In fact, I would say she's already better than my other engineers! She's improved the _Normandy's _systems countless of times, finding all these new ways to upgrade. I must say, you have quite an eye for talent."

Tali blushed inside her helmet, not used to receiving such praise, especially when Shepard was around to hear it. She kept her head down by her terminal, as if she couldn't hear them. A slow smile spread across her face as she heard Shepard's response.

"Yeah, I had a feeling she would be a valuable crew member."

She could hear Adams let out a humorous chuckle.

"I'll say Commander. Anyways, what can I do for you?"

"I actually need to borrow Tali from you for a ground mission. Is that alright?"

Tali's excitement could hardly be contained. She was finally going to be able to go on a ground mission with Shepard! However, she kept her body in check, but couldn't resist a little tremble in her legs.

"Sure Commander, just make sure you bring her back in one piece."

"Of course, Adams. Wouldn't want to deprive you of your best engineer."

Shepard's light joking tone caused them both to start laughing, making sure to keep their voices from disturbing the other engineers. She heard footsteps heading towards her direction, and it took a lot of willpower to not turn around and see who it was. As the footsteps approached, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and immediately knew who it was. Shepard. She turned around, and Shepard withdrew his hand, and gave her a lopsided smile.

"Hey Tali. How's the _Normandy?_"

Tali could hardly contain her enthusiasm. She even forgot to say hello back.

"Keelah, she's amazing Shepard! She's more advanced than any other ship in the flotilla!"

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it thus far. Something came up on a nearby planet,and it might require someone with tech skills. Feel like coming along?"

"Sure thing Shepard." ,Tali chirped.

Shepard nodded, and gave her some orders.

"Good, go get your gear from your locker, and meet me by the Mako."

Tali cocked her head, and thought about what the Mako could be. Her mind was clarified as she thought about the armored vehicle Garrus was always working on.

"Oh! You mean that armored vehicle?"

"Yep, that's the one. Meet me there in 15 minutes."

As Shepard turned to leave, she replied in a bubbly voice.

" See ya later."

* * *

As Shepard walked away from Tali, Her cheery farewell reaching his ears, and couldn't help but smile. He admired the girl a lot. She was extremely hardy, tracking down and disabling a geth unit, and showed a lot of determination. She also displayed resourcefulness in constant improving the _Normandy_, despite it being top of the line technology. As he continued to think about Tali, he walked out of Engineering, and approached Garrus.

Garrus was currently underneath the Mako, attempting to improve its suspension and thrusters. A painful grunt escaped his mouth as he scooted out from underneath. He sat up and laid his head back against the Mako, letting out a sigh. _Spirits, this work is taking its toll on me. I wish I could have found something to make this easier on my back._

He heard a polite cough, and turned to see Shepard standing there, a barely suppressed smile on his lips. Garrus hastily stood up, and attempted to salute him, but a quiet groan slipped out. Shepard chuckled at Garrus's misfortune.

"Garrus, what did I tell you? You don't have to salute me. You're not Alliance, so technically were equals. So please, let's act like equals. And try to loosen up a bit. Joke around, let out some sarcasm."

Garrus let him arm fall down to his side, and his shoulders slumped.

"Ah, ok Shepard, I'll try."

"Good. Remember, I'm not like most others. I prefer a soldier who knows how to think for himself and voice his opinions. Now, why aren't you using the rolling table to work on the Mako?"

Garrus replied in a confused tone. "The what?"

Shepard nudged a platform over to Garrus, and he knelt down to study it, his back pain momentarily gone.

"The rolling table. Let's you get underneath vehicles so you can work on them without breaking your back."

As Garrus studied it, he picked it up and stood. He voiced his thoughts out loud.

"Spirits, I could have used this two days ago."

Shepard let out a hearty laugh, and put a hand on the turians shoulder.

"Well don't worry, you'll probably get plenty of time to use it. Now however, we have a mission to attend to. You want in?"

"Sure thing Shepard. Still searching for the asari?"

Shepard shook his head. "No not this time, Garrus. Joker caught a distress signal of Alliance origin. We're going to check it out."

"Alright, I'll get my gear ready."

"Good. Meet me back here in 10 minutes, and Shepard strode off towards the cargo bay elevator. Garrus turned towards the lockers on the opposite side, and let out another soft groan. _I really wish I had found that "rolling table" earlier._

* * *

Shepard was planning to bring his entire crew with him on this mission. If he was walking into a trap, he wanted to be prepared. He strode over to the Mako, where Shepard saw Wrex, Tali, Garrus, Ashley, and Kaidan all gathered. They were all fairly silent, no one really speaking to each other. As Shepard approached, everyone turned their attention to him. He had his armor on now, and had his helmet tucked underneath his left arm. He cleared his throat, and began to speak.

"Alright, so first, who here has ridden in a Mako before?"

Shepard watched as Kaidan and Ashley both raised their hands, and was surprised to hear Wrex speak.

"I have."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't say anything.

"Good. Makes this easier that most of you have ridden in one. You two are pretty bright, so i think you can figure it out."

Shepard walked briskly past the group, and before Garrus could say something, he popped open the hatch.

"Ok everyone, pile in."

Shepard leapt into the Mako, and took the driver seat. As everyone started piling in, he gave out orders on where people were to be stationed.

Ashley, you get to sit in the back and relax. Same goes for Kaidan and Wrex. Tali, your seat in the co-pilot seat next to me, where you can monitor the systems, and Garrus, you get to show me how good your aim is on the guns."

As everyone settled in and strapped in their seat restaints, Ashley couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards Tali. _Why does she get to sit next to Shepard? _However, the militaristic part of her brain kicked in._ Because she knows tech and you don't._ Ashley shook the feeling off, and returned to military professionalism.

Shepard spoke up.

"Think you can handle it, Tali, or should I give you the manual?"

Tali scoffed and turned to look at Shepard.

"Please Shepard, I'm a quarian. I can figure it out better like this."

Shepard gave let out a deep chuckle.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that."

Ashley felt that twinge of jealously again. Before she could think too much about it though, Joker's voice rang out over the comm in the Mako.

"Approaching the planet's surface, Commander. Prepping rapid insertion deployment."

Tali blanched at Joker's words. _Rapid insertion? What does that mean? Aren't we landing on the surface?_

"Uhh Shepard?" fear crept into her voice unbidden. "What did he mean by that?"

"You'll see." She could see the corners of his lips twitching, and she narrowed his eyes. _Something tells me he is doing this on purpose._ Before she could put Shepard in the spotlight, the cargo bay door of the _Normandy _opened, and her eyes widened. Behind her, she could hear Garrus gasp.

"Spirits, what's he doing? We're going to slide out of the cargo bay!"

Wrex let out a deep chuckle, and Kaidan couldn't keep a smile off his lips. Even Ashley couldn't stop a tight lipped smile from her face. Tali was too scared say anything. Instead, she reached for anything to hold in a death grip. Unknowingly, her left hand had gripped Shepard's forearm, and held it in a vise. Her other hand was braced against the roof of the Mako, and silently prayed.

Suddenly, the Mako was slung forward, and they rocketed out of the _Normandy._ Shepard focused on keeping the vehicle level, but didn't break his arm away from Tali. _Besides, I don't think I could break out of her grip. She's a lot stronger than I thought. _ He practically steered with one hand, but the Mako's mass effect core helped keep it level. The inertial dampeners also helped stop the feeling of vertigo, but they still felt a slight pull of gravity. As they finally found purchase on the surface, they landed with a solid thump.

As the vehicle rolled a few meters, Shepard glanced to his right and saw Tali still stiffly braced against the roof, and her hand still holding his arm in a death grip, her eyes shut tight. He glanced behind him towards Garrus, and saw he fared no better. His body was as stiff as a board, and his face was paler than usual. His eyes were wide with shock.

A few seconds passed before Shepard started laughing, followed quickly by Wrex, Kaidan, and even Ashley. She had to admit, their reactions were pretty hilarious, but the fact that Tali still had her hand gripped in Shepard made her jealousy bubble near the surface.

As the laughter ensued, Tali opened her eyes, and saw they had landed safely, and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She immediately glared daggers at Shepard, who was still laughing, and released her hand. As she did, Shepard glanced over to her, and his laughter faded, a broad smile still on his face. There were so many things she could have said, but she opted for a simple one.

"Bosh'tet." Tali breathed the word out in a way that only Shepard heard her, and a quiet laugh escaped him. Tali crossed her arms, and sat back in her seat, pouting.

"Aw come on Tali, you have to admit, that was pretty fun."

Now that the immediate danger was over, she did realize she did have some fun dropping in. However, she was still cross with him, and wouldn't let him out of this one so easily.

"You're still a bosh'tet for not telling me."

"Ok, ok, I admit that was a little evil."

Shepard turned back towards Garrus, who had relaxed since he first glanced back.

"So, how are you doing, Garrus?"

"Better, but I think I'm with Tali on this one."

Shepard let a mock frown cross his face.

"Aw come on! You're telling me you didn't have fun either?"

Garrus shook his head vehemently.

Shepard glaced further back at Wrex, Kaidan and Ashley, and shook his head.

"Can you believe these two?"

Wrex barked out a short laugh.

"No fun."

"Really, it wasn't that bad. It was probably one of the smoothest landings I've had in one of these."

"Yeah, good show Skipper."

Kaidan and Ashley agreed. Shepard looked pointedly at Garrus and Tali, and cocked an eyebrow. Tali rolled her eyes. _This bosh'tet is insufferable. And yet, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. _

"Still a bosh'tet."

Shepard rolled his eyes now, and floored the gas pedal on the floor.

"Whatever, you guys had fun."

Shepard didn't see it, but Tali smiled at the comment. _Keelah…I think I love this man. _She stopped everything she was doing. _No way. Absolutely no way. It would never work._ She violently pushed the thought out, and focused on the screen in front of her, immersing herself into her work.

* * *

Shepard breached the top of the hill where the beacon's signal was coming from. As she hit the peak, he stopped the vehicle, and activated the Mako's optical zoom. As he zoomed in, he saw the beacon standing next to a destroyed M-29 Grizzly, and several dark shapes on the ground. He reversed the zoom back to normal, and drove down the hill, giving out an order.

"Garrus, keep your eyes peeled."

As he reached the bottom of the hill, he could clearly see now that the dark shapes were bodies of Alliance marines. He drove right up to the Grizzly, and parked it, stepping out of his seat, and motioning for Wrex, Ashley, and Kaidan to do so as well.

"Tali, stay here, let me know if something pops up. Garrus, keep that gun primed. Something is off here. Wrex, Ashley, Kaidan, you're up."

The four people dropped out of the hatch, and they began walking towards the bodies. Shepard approached the closest one, and knelt down to study it. He saw marks on their armor, and their armor was missing in a few places. _These marks look like claw marks. But from what?_ As Shepard continued searching, onto some other bodies now, he noticed an insignia still intact. He reached down, and ripped it off. _I know this symbol. This is the insignia for an Admiral Kahoku. If this is his unit, he will want to know. _He glanced down at the body, and noticed something stuck in the marine's leg. It looked like a bone, but it wasn't white, it was yellow, and had flesh on it, making it seem like it was a… claw.

Shepard's eyes widened with fear. He knew what happened here. And he knew what was coming. He turned to look at the trio searching bodies, and screamed at them.

"Get back to the Mako! NOW!"

Ashley, Wrex and Kaidan stood perplexed for a moment, before they complied, sprinting back to the vehicle. There was something very wrong. The Commander had sounded… scared. Shepard jumped into the Mako last, and immediately, the crew began asking questions.

"Skipper, what's going on?"

"Commander, what happened?"

"Shepard, are you okay?"

Ashley, Kaidan, Garrus and Tali all spoke at the same time. Shepard didn't reply, the blood draining from his face. He immediately headed for the next nearby hill leading out of the big land depression he was in. 20 meters, from the slope, Tali read something on the scanners, something… massive. It was… underground?

"Shepard, something on the scanners… It's underground, 15 meters ahead."

Shepard didn't reply, his hands gripping the wheel so tightly it would rip off if he jerked it. He spun the wheel, and the Mako almost flipped over. As the Mako was on the edge of turning over, A massive eruption was heard, and an inhumane screech filled their heads. Shepard's mind broke from reality, and he slipped into his nightmares. He reacted purely out of instinct, and everyone gaped at the monstrosity that was to their side now. It was huge, looming over the vehicle at least 30 feet tall. It had claws all about his sides, and had long, feelers where its head was. the inside of it's mouth was oddly blue, but still made it very sinister. It's mouth was surprisingly void of teeth. As it reared back, a long stream of acid shot out from a passage in it's mouth, and narrowly missed the Mako. Shepard had his foot pinned down in the gas pedal, his entire body locked up. Tali shouted out in panic.

"Keelah what is that?!"

Wrex's voice was grim. Even he knew that this monster should not be crossed with.

"Thresher Maw."

* * *

_7 years ago, on the surface of Akuze._

_Shepard was running for his life. Behind him was a village they were sent to investigate, having gone dark a few weeks ago. Shepard glanced over his shoulder, hearing the screams and death cries of him unit. Shepard choked back a sob, as he thought about the pain they were going through. Three thresher maws. TWO! Shepard kept pumping his arms, his legs like pistons driving him onward. The only consolation was his best friend, Corporal Thomas Toombs, was with him. _

_He was a few meters behind Shepard, and was tiring quickly, Their destination, an Alliance shuttle they had taken down to the surface, was 30 meters away. Shepard reached it first, and he looked back towards Toombs, and waved him onward. Toombs was tiring very quickly though, the exhaustion proving too much, and he stopped 15 meters away from safety. Shepard began running out of the shuttle, intent of making sure he and his best friend would survive. I'm not losing you to these god forsaken creatures! As Shepard limped out, he noticed the screams and cries from the village had died down. _

_Anxiety filled Shepard. Where did they go? He was 10 meters from Toombs, when the earth began to rumble around them. Before Shepard could do anything. A thresher maw burst forth, and arched forward, heading right for the exhausted Toombs. Time slowed down for Shepard. Toombs slowly stood up, and the thresher maw loomed over his head, moving every so fractionally. Toombs and Shepard locked eyes, and Shepard saw the fear in his eyes, the silent plea to save him from this. The helplessness Shepard felt was immense. He reached out with his hand, despite being 10 meters off, and watched as Toombs was disappeared inside the thresher maw, his final cry of pain echoing in his ears. _

_Shepard collapsed on the ground, his sobs racking his entire being. Toombs, not not Thomas, please god no. anyone but him. He was on his knees his arms holding his sides, sobbing. He waited for the thresher maw to kill him too, so he could rejoin his friend, but it never came. He stayed there for hours, until he finally stood up, and slowly walked back to the shuttle, utterly crushed and defeated. His face was stained with tears, and he saw Thomas Toombs face as he was swallowed up, and broke down in the shuttle, grieving for his lost friend._

* * *

"Shepard!"

Shepard was shook out of her memory, Tali arm's on his shoulders, his tear-stained face in front of Tali's visor.

"Keelah Shepard, Are you okay?"

Shepard attempted to speak, but nothing came out. He opened his mouth again to speak, but only a sob escaped. Shepard broke from Tali's grasp, and put his hands on his face, completely covering it. His shoulders silently shook, and Tali was concerned for the man who had become her closest companion. She laid a hand on the man's shoulder, and Shepard, slowly stopped the flow of tears, and composed himself.

He sat back up in the seat, and he put a hand on where Tali's was on his shoulder. He glanced over to her, and nodded, telling her he was fine now. She understood, and withdrew her hand. Wrex spoke up.

"What now, Shepard?"

Shepard paused, and knew what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and while he started out shaky, his voice got stronger until it returned to its normal level.

"We can't just leave the beacon active. More alliance ships will be drawn to it, and more people will die to that beast….. We have to go back. We have to shut that beacon off, and we have to kill that thresher maw."

Everyone nodded their assent of their plan. Ashley stared worriedly at Shepard. _Dear God, what happened with him? Is there something I don't know about him?_ She quickly began thinking about what could have traumatized him, and it clicked in her head. _Akuze._ A soft gasp escaped her lips, and everyone glanced back at her. She attempted to stammer out an apology.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about… nevermind."

Shepard nodded, and turned the Mako around, heading back towards the Alliance beacon, which was now 400 meters away. His breath was ragged, and his body was shivering all over.

_It's time to face the demons of my nightmares.  
_

* * *

**A/N **

**I hadn't planned on this being a two parter, but I guess that's just how it is. I hope you fuys don't mind that this is a two parter.  
**

**Review. Keelah Se'lai.**


	10. Chapter 9: To Fight One's Demons

**A/N **

**So throughout the day, I just kind of sit around, and do nothing, maybe browse Reddit and stuff. Turns out ever since I started writing this, I can't focus on something else for more than a few hours. Soooo yet another chapter for you guys.**

* * *

_Chapter 9: To Fight One's Demons_

Shepard gritted his teeth as he cross over a hill 100 meters to the right of where they hard first entered the depression. Shepard stared out where the broken vehicle was, closed his eyes, and let out a deep breath. He felt a hand touch his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked through his peripheral and saw Tali leaning across the short space a hand on his shoulder. He stared into her eyes, and gave her a weak smile. He saw something behind her visor shift, and he imagined she had smiled back._ She gives me strength right now. I don't think I could do this without her._ She withdrew her hand, and went back to her console. Shepard twisted his body to look behind him at his crew.

Directly behind him, Garrus was tense with anticipation. His mandibles were twitching, and his eyes were focused. He gave Shepard a nod, letting him know he was ready. He gazed further back towards the rest of his crew. Ashley's eyes were closed, and her mouth was moving in a silent prayer. The fact that she was religious passed completely over his head. He glanced at Kaidan, and saw that he too was agitated, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Wrex seemed unperturbed, but he could sense the krogan was tense as well.

He fixed his body, facing the front of the Mako, and spoke to his crew.

"Alright. Garrus, I want that gun constantly firing. Don't overheat it, but don't slack on the fire as well. Tali, warn me when our shields are depleting in increments, 100%, 90%, and so forth. Wrex, Kaidan and Ashley, unfortunately, all you guys can do is sit and wait."

Shepard steeled his nerves, making sure he wouldn't seize up and freeze this time. No one replied to him. Everyone knew how tense the situation was. Shepard pressed into the gas pedal, and he slowly steered down the slope. As he approached the bottom, he spoke up towards the two operating officers.

"Tali, let me know when that blip comes up on the sensors again."

She nodded, her eyes keen on the sensors.

"Garrus, keep your eyes peeled. Aim for its mouth. It has minimal armor there. Only way we can get to that beacon is killing it, because thresher maws rarely retreat."

Garrus stared intently through the gun's view, taking in every little detail.

Everything was silent as Shepard slowly cruised towards the Grizzly and Admiral Kahoku's decimated unit. 20 meters away, a blip resounded throughout the compartment; Shepard immediately snapped his head towards Tali, who was already speaking.

"20 meters to the west." She spoke with conviction, and was surprisingly calm.

Shepard immediately positioned the Mako to face where the blip was, and just fixed it into position as he got his first look at his demon. Shepard's mind began to panic, receding into his dreadful memory. Shepard shook his head, shaking off the feeling of panic.

He floored the gas pedal, and took away opposite of the thresher maw, hitting 40 meters away. He was faintly aware of the Mako's main cannon and secondary gun alternating in fire. The thresher maw vanished back into the earth.

Shepard stopped the vehicle, and tensely waited. Garrus had a finger on the trigger for both guns, and Tali was intently watching the systems, making sure everything was nominal. Her fingers were flying across the haptic surfaces, making adjustments to improve the Mako's durability.

The ground shook once more as the thresher maw burst forth in a cloud of loose earth, that inhumane screech resounding throughout the nearby area. This time it surfaced 15 meters from the vehicles port side, and Garrus spun the gun around, at the same time that Shepard turned towards the starboard side.

Garrus squeezed both triggers, small rounds and a larger round every few seconds peppering the thresher maw, it violently shook as it tasted its own blood, and spat a volley of acid at the retreating vehicle. A large globule of acid landed on the vehicle, but the shield kept it from touching its armored surface.

"Shields at 72%!"

_Damn. We can't take many hits against this demon. _Shepard gripped the wheel tighter, and pushed the Mako to greater speeds, bobbing and weaving to dodge anymore acid. Eventually, they outran the thresher maws range for his acid, and it disappeared back down its hole. Shepard brought the Mako about, and waited for the thresher maw to resurface. Shepard glanced back at Garrus, and asked for an update.

"How are we looking, Garrus?"

"Guns are still operational, I'm keeping them firing and not overheating."

"What's the damage we've cause to the thresher maw?"

"Scan's telling me it's around 65%, but that thing still looks perfectly fine."

Shepard muttered. "Shit…"

The earth began shaking again, and the thresher maw resurfaced. 5 meters from them. It was arching forward, prepared to swallow the entire vehicle. However, a stroke of luck saved them. The Thresher maw was a little too close, and inadvertently tossed the vehicle, rotating port over starboard, until it landed upright several more meters away. Inside the vehicle, everyone was still seated, but bruises were definitely going to be evident against the pounding they received inside the spinning vehicle. The thresher maw's head smashed through the ground where they had been. It withdrew its massive head, and spotted its prey a few meters away. Fortunately, the Mako was a sturdy vehicle, and it seemed to have come out none the worse. Shepard floored it, and took off towards the opposite end of the "bowl" they were in, away from the thresher maw and the beacon. The thresher maw disappeared back into the ground, and everything was silent for a few seconds.

"Scan's show the thresher maw is nearly done, Commander."

"Good."

The earth began rumbling again, and the thresher maw burst forth for the fourth time. Garrus spun the guns around, and before the thresher maw could do anything else, a cannon round made contact with it, and blew a huge chunk off it. The thresher maw let out a death screech, before collapsing on the ground, half in, half out of its tunnels.

"Looks like it's down for good Shepard."

Relief was evident in Garrus's voice, and everyone let out sigh of relief. Well except Wrex. All he did was loosen up and stop being so tense.

"Good. Let's go turn off that beacon. I'm tired of this planet."

* * *

Shepard was back in his cabin. He was holding a datapad, which held the results of one of his previous missions. As he read the mission report and the casualty list that came with it, he couldn't stop tears from falling down his face. He started putting the datapad down, but hesitated. _No, my crew deserves to know. They deserve to know why I acted out of character._ He stood up with the datapad in his hand, and walked out of his cabin.

As he stepped out, he saw the crew had already gathered there. Wrex was leaning against the wall, Kaidan and Ashley sat a seat apart, and Garrus sat at the head of the table closest to his door. Tali was sitting down right next to where he had sat during their first meeting. Shepard sat down next to her, and slouched over, the datapad obscured by the tabletop.

"You guys deserve to know why I acted like I did on Edolus."

Ashley spoke up before anyone else could.

"Skipper, you don't have to do this."

Shepard was already shaking his head.

"No Ash, I need to. These guys deserve to know this about me, especially since they saw me act out."

She bit her lip, but nodded. She vaguely noticed that Shepard had called her Ash, and she hadn't objected to it.

Shepard sighed, and brought forth the datapad.

"Kaidan and Ashley already know this about me. But all your questions have their answers on this datapad."

Shepard turned to go, but not before handing the datapad to Tali. She looked down at the datapad, torn between wanting to know what was on it, and afraid at what it could contain. Eventually, curiousity got the better of her, and she opened up the file. A small gasp escaped her lips as she read the mission summary at the top.

_Akuze, 53 dead, 1 survivor._

Shepard walked back through his door to his cabin, and sat down on the edge of his bed. He was so very tired. But he knew his dreams would only take him to one place. But he needed the sleep, no matter how erratic it was. He commed Joker.

"Joker, I don't want any interruptions for the next 12 hours. The only thing you can contact me is if we found T'soni. Otherwise, Kaidan can handle it."

"Understood, Commander."

Shepard sighed, and fell back onto his bed, his hands covering his face. He rubbed his face, and let out a small groan. _Back to fighting my dream demons._

* * *

**A/N **

**I suck at writing combat scenes. **


	11. Chapter 10: Edolus Aftermath

**A/N**

**Hey guys, another chapter. This might be a short one, I don't know yet. I'll just see how it plays out. This chapter is kind of important to Shepard and Tali.**

* * *

_Chapter 10: Edolus Aftermath_

Shepard suddenly woke with a gasp. He was breathing hard, and perspiration was sliding down his bare chest. As Shepard recollected himself, he recognized his surroundings as his cabin. He rubbed his eyes, which had dark bags under them, and checked him Omni-tool for the time. _2200 hours. It's only been 3 hours since I told Joker to not bother me?_ Shepard groaned, and kicked his feet off the bed, reaching underneath towards his dresser. He pulled out a clean crew uniform, and slid it on. He stood up, and walked over to his door, planning on heading to the kitchen for a glass of water.

He hit the panel on his door, and stepped out. Everything was quiet, and understandably so. _Most people should be on their night shift at this point._ He arched his back, getting a few pops and cracks, and let out a tired sigh. He paced over to the kitchen, and pulled out a glass, filling it with water from the faucet. He brought it to his lips, and let the cool liquid course down his throat. He smacked his lips appreciatively, before refilling the glass and turning to back to his cabin, when his eyes caught something.

He saw a pair of luminous eyes peering at him from the mess hall table, and realized Tali was sitting there. He strode over to Tali, and sat down opposite of her. He sighed and took another sip from his glass of water, before returning to silence. A few seconds passed before Shepard asked a question.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Tali shook her head exhaustedly.

"No. Your ship is too quiet."

Shepard raised an eyebrow, asking a silent question.

"Ah right, well, back on the fleet, all of our ships always make noise. That's how we know their still running. If a ship goes quiet on the fleet, it means something is wrong."

"Got it. So you can't sleep because it's too quiet?"

Tali hesitated before replying.

"Y- Yes but don't worry about me Shepard. How are you feeling?"

Shepard sighed and placed his arms on the table, his fingers intertwined.

"I've been better. I assume the crew read the mission report on the datapad?"

Tali nodded, not feeling the need to use words.

"Good. They're good people. They deserve to know."

A few seconds of silence passed, before Tali spoke again.

"Do… Do you want to talk about it? I mean you don't have to, but you've been a very good friend to me, helping me with my… earlier matter. I was hoping I could return the favor."

Shepard gave her a tight-lipped smile, a sad look in his eyes. He didn't say anything for a while, and Tali were about to drop the whole thing, but Shepard finally replied.

"Yeah, I think talking about it would make it easier."

Shepard paused, and started to explain why he was traumatized. His gaze drifted downward, staring at the space in between his feet.

"The real reason I froze up on the planet earlier, was not because they had taken out my squad. Hell, I barely remembered their last names. No, I froze up because I watched my best friend get eaten not 10 meters from me. A thresher maw burst forth, and plummeted down on him, and I looked in the eyes as he died. I saw fear. Pure fear in his eyes. And I was helpless to save him."

Tears sprang unbidden to his eyes, and they coursed down his face. His voice had gotten shakier as he spoke, and he was on the verge of complete grief. Tali's heart ached seeing Shepard liked this. She hesitated at first, and prayed she wasn't being too inappropriate, before reaching out and placing her hands on Shepard's. As Shepard felt her light touch, he looked up and locked eyes with Tali. She could see the grief in his eyes. She spoke softly, like a mother does to her child.

"It's ok, Shepard. You don't have to say anymore."

Tears coursed down his face still, but a smile of gratitude broke out on his face, and he nodded slightly. Tali kept her hands there, and started brushing her thumb against the back of his palm. Shepard removed a hand and wiped off the tearstains. However, he brought his hand right back down into Tali's. They remained like this for some time, before Shepard spoke up again, his voice almost back to its normal tone.

"Let's talk about something else, okay? Tell me about the fleet."

Tali hesitated. She really wanted to know more about Shepard, but wasn't sure if this was the right time to ask. Shepard noticed her hesitated, and asked her about it.

"Tali? You usually love talking about the fleet. What's wrong?"

Tali took a deep breath, and replied.

"Actually, Shepard, I've told you a lot about the fleet, but I know almost nothing about you besides um… that incident."

Shepard's face blanked, and he thought furiously about what he was about to do. _Do I trust this girl with my personal history and background?_ As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he already had his answer. _Yes, I do. Completely._

He stood up, still holding Tali's hands.

"Sure. But not out here. In my cabin."

He let go of Tali's hands somewhat reluctantly, and lead the way to his cabin, Tali rounding the table and following suit. As the door closed behind both of them, Shepard sat down at his table, the chair facing the door. He motioned for Tali to sit opposite of him, and she did.

"So what do you want to know?"

"Oh um… How about where you grew up?"

"Well I grew up on Mindoir, a small human colony, only about a couple hundred people."

"Did you like it there?"

"Yeah I loved it actually. It was peaceful, everyone was nice to each other, and we had many public gatherings where everyone would have fun and relax. I was going to be a farmer, like my dad, up until the day I turned 16."

Tali hesitated, seeing the pain in his eyes. She was afraid to ask what happened, but if she didn't ask now, she would never ask later.

"What happened?" the words were quiet, barely eligible as a whisper.

"Batarians." Shepard spat the word out like venom. "They raided Mindoir. Killed everyone there, and took the rest as slaves. My father and sister were killed."

"Oh Shepard, I'm so sor-?"

"What are you apologizing for? You didn't send those pirates to my home. No, they came unbidden, and they killed my family. It's not your fault, it's theirs, so don't apologize, Tali."

Shepard's voice was stern, like a father chiding his son. He locked eyes with Tali to make sure she got the message. She nodded back, and Shepard dropped the tone, returning to his normal casual mood.

"What else do you want to know?"

"Hm… Well this one is of personal interest. I noticed everyone calls you Shepard, by your clan name, or "Last name". What's your "first name"?"

Shepard paused, receding to his mind yet again. _My name? My FIRST name? Hardly anyone knows it. The only people who know it are Alliance brass, and Anderson. What should I say?_

Shepard started speaking hesitantly.

"Tali… You have to understand. My first name is a very private piece of information. Very few people know it, and those include Alliance officials because I had to, and Captain Anderson, because he's like a father to me."

He looked at Tali, and saw her eyes fall in disappointment, her shoulders slumped. He took another deep breath, and spoke again.

"That being said," He saw Tali look up, a hopeful light in her eyes. He gave her the smile that melted hearts, and continued. "My first name is Aaron."

* * *

**A/N**

**Yep. Another short chapter, but a pretty important one for Shep- I mean Aaron and Tali's relationship. **

**Story Time! **

**I was on my phone, browsing the internet at like 3 AM. I was pretty tired, but I couldn't sleep. I was trying to find a suitable first name for Shepard. I went to google, and I attempted to type, but only managed to swipe my finger across the keyboard on my phone. As I went to delete it, I noticed that it had autocorrected my mumbo- jumbo into a name. **

**Aaron. **

**I stared at the name for a while, and the more I did, the more it appealed to me. So I filed it away in my memory, and waited until this chapter to reveal it. So yes, His full name is Aaron Shepard.**

**Please review, and don't hate me for writing all these short chapters.**


	12. Chapter 11: The More You Know

**A/N **

**This is to sort of make up for the back to back short chapters. This is mostly a character building chapter, will probably have some action next chapter.**

**Keelah Se'lai.**

* * *

_Chapter 11: The More You Know  
_

Tali sighed dreamily. She was currently down in Engineering, having just left Shepard's cabin. She thought back to how Shepard said he trusted her completely. A shiver wracked her entire being, but it was a pleasant shiver. She refocused on the terminal in front of her, monitoring the systems of the _Normandy._ Seeing that everything was nominal, she backed up and leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down until she was sitting.

She pulled her knees to her chest, and laid her head on her knees. She had a smile on her face, and she began thinking about Shepard again. _Aaron. Aaron Shepard. Keelah, saying his name gives me chills._ After he told her, he made her promise to only call him that in private. She understood of course. Everyone who had known his name had been lost to him at some point. _And soon I'll be on that list. _She sighed dejectedly. She would return to the fleet sooner or later, and she would never see him again.

She shook her head, frustrated by such thoughts, and returned to more pleasant ones. _I can at least stay until Saren is defeated. That much I can do. _As she thought about the fleet, her eyes popped open in alarm. She still hadn't messaged her family back on the fleet. She brought up her arm, and opened up a brand new message. She hesitated. _Who do I send it to? My father, Rael'Zorah? No, he would be disappointed in me. Shala'Raan? She's the closest real family I have. _Tali's hand hovered over her arm, she thought about who she would send this too. Finally, she decided she would send it to her Auntie Raan.

_Dear Shala'Raan vas Tonbay,_

_I know you're probably worried about me since I left the fleet some time ago. I was in some trouble, but everything is fine now. Actually, it's better than fine. A human Alliance Commander saved me from... people who wanted me dead. He's been very kind to me and he treats me like a person, not a… quarian. He's compassionate to his crew, and very skilled in combat. He could probably defeat an entire Migrant Fleet Marines squadron by himself. He is a remarkable man._

_He's also a Council Spectre, which is pretty exciting. He was assigned a very important task, in which I am helping him with. We're hunting a rogue Spectre, one who is using the geth as his pawns. Hopefully, I can return to the fleet with information on the geth, and maybe one day we can return to our homeworld._

_Yours truly, _

_Tali'Zorah nar Rayya_

She paused for a second as she read over her message. She sent it off once she finished, and sat back down. She thought about how she had described Shep- Aaron. Her heart seized up as she thought about it. _Oh Keelah, I hope Auntie Raan doesn't suspect I have feelings for him. _She relaxed though, as she realized she was just being paranoid. She thought about Aaron for a few more seconds, before a thought breached her mind. _You don't like him anymore. You love him Tali. _The thought swam around in her head, and she didn't immediately push it out. She let it linger, and reveled in the thought.

As her eyes began drooping, she realized just how tired she was. She stifled a yawn, and curled up into a more comfortable position, falling asleep in Engineering, quietly snoring.

* * *

_**Migrant Fleet, Tonbay.**_

Raan was exhausted. She had just returned from a meeting of the Admiralty Board, who's current members were herself, Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Alarei, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema, Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib, and Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh. She shook her head thinking about Gerrel and Koris. They constantly argued, always on opposite ends. Today it was about rationing supplies aboard one of their liveships, the _Rayya._

She pushed the meeting out of her head as her omni-tool rang out. She brought her arm forth, and opened up a message she had received. As she saw the sender name, she let out a huge breath of relief. It was Tali'Zorah, who was like a daughter to Raan. She read her message, and was both incredulous, and worried. _This man sounds remarkable, but why were people after her? And almost half her message is about him. Is he truly this remarkable?_ While her thoughts were in turmoil, she opened up a comm link, patiently waiting for the receiver to answer. Soon, she was graced with a video call, and a visor greeted her.

"Yes Admiral, how can I help you?"

"Kal'Reegar, I need to meet you in my office. It's about Tali."

Kal visibly stiffened at hearing Tali's name. Raan knew Tali and Reegar had become friends. He had trained her for her Pilgrimage.

"Is she ok?"

"Yes, she's fine Kal, but her message was both vague and enlightening. I need to discuss some of it with you."

"Of course, I'll head over now."

The call cut off, and Raan opened up her message again, reading it through several times, still attempting to figure out the meaning behind it. She heard a knock at her door, and she called out lightly.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Kal'Reegar stepped in. His suit was peach colored, with some areas a light color of red. Raan herself only wore a black suit, very plain, but it serves its purpose. Raan motioned for Kal to have a seat, and he took a seat in front on her desk. Raan finished reading the message for the fourth time, and looked up at Kal. She hit a button on her interface, and the message from Tali popped out, displayed in a much larger screen than Raan had used to read it.

"Here, read the message for yourself."

Kal was silent, one hand underneath his mouthpiece as he read the message. His eyes darted back and forth, finishing it in less than 10 seconds.

"Defeat a squad of marines by himself?" Kal'Reegar scoffed, "No way he is _that _good."

"I know Kal, but I was hoping you could help me figure out who this man is. I want to make sure he won't take advantage of Tali."

"I have done some reading about the Alliance. They are surprisingly knowledgeable in tactics."

Kal delved into his thoughts, as Raan eagerly waited for him to see if he could find out. Kal pondered, jumping deeper into his memories. _Alliance Commander, Council Spectre, human-. _It clicked.

"Keelah!" Kal'Reegar exclaimed.

"What? What is it? Is she in danger?" Raan's voice was strained with tension, but Kal'Reegar shook his head slowly in amazement.

"No, in fact, I think she is in very safe hands. She mentioned that he was a council Spectre, and he is Alliance, which is human military. I believe that she is speaking of Commander Shepard."

Raan cocked her head, not understanding the importance of one 'Commander Shepard'.

"Kal, Who is he?"

"He is many things, and I have no doubt he could take on a squad of my marines single-handedly. He has several titles, but his most famous is The Lion of Elysium."

Raan widened her eyes in surprise.

"Tali is under the command of the soldier who held Elysium against the largest pirate fleet ever gathered?"

Kal shrugged.

"Who else could it be? He is a legend among humans, and most other species know of those events, even if they don't know his name."

A few seconds of silence passed between them, before Raan spoke up.

"Tali speaks very highly of him. Apparently, he is unprejudiced against any race. And he is a compassionate leader. Does this match the Commander Shepard you know of?"

Kal hesitated.

"I don't know. The extranet doesn't hold information of his personality. They say he inspires great loyalty in his crew, evidence based on Elysium. But there is another thing. I have also read about a great tragedy about him. His entire squad was killed on Akuze, 53 dead, and only he survived."

"53 soldiers dead? What happened?"

"Thresher maws. 3 of them. If the extranet is to be believed."

Raan shook her head in disbelief. _Three thresher maws? Keelah…_

Silence was in the air once more, before Kal spoke up.

"What do you intend to do?"

Raan let out a tired sigh, and turned off her omni-tool, the message fading away.

"There is nothing I can do. She is still officially on her Pilgrimage. We just have to hope her captain can bring her back in one piece."

Kal nodded, and Raan gave him leave, as he turned to go, her thoughts returned to the message. She read Tali's description of Shepard several times, before becoming overwhelming drowsy, and drifting off towards her cot. As she collapsed on it, a thought struck her, right before she passed out. _She loves that man._

* * *

_**Back on the Normandy**_

Shepard stood in the cockpit, behind Joker's seat. It was 0800, 10 hours after his talk with Tali, and how he had divulged personal information with her. He smirked. _I wouldn't trust anyone else with it._ Shepard was mildly surprised at how accepting he was of the fact that Tali knew his first name, but it didn't linger.

Shepard glanced down at Joker. His fingers were working on the interface of the _Normandy, _several things happening simultaneously. Joker stopped and turned around to face Shepard as he spoke.

"Alright, Commander, we're down to our last few planets. Wanna gamble a bit and see if you pick the right one?"

Shepard let out an innocent smile.

"If we're talking credits, sure."

Shepard leaned past Joker, and studied the last few planets. Each one had sizable prothean ruins on them, but they seemed completely unappealing. As Shepard glanced over the last planet, named Therum, he saw it was a volcanic world. He grinned pointed towards the display of Therum.

"That planet, Therum. Let's go. If the asari archaeologist is there, I win. If not, you win. What's the wager?"

Joker paused for a second, and whipped out a credit chit.

"100 credits. Leave it here in the cockpit so you don't have to give it to me later when you're wrong."

"We'll see Joker, we'll see. How long until we get there?"

Joker shrugged.

"Depends on how fast you want me to go."

Shepard put a fist to his chin.

"Get us there, but don't burn up the ship doing so."

Righto, Commander. We'll be there in 8 hours, then you can give me your credits."

Shepard turned to walk off, but not before placing a hand on Joker's shoulder and giving a stronger than advised squeeze.

"Ah Jesus stop Commander! Gonna break my shoulder doing that."

Joker grumbled, rotating the shoulder Shepard had squeezed. He could hear Shepard chuckling as he walked away. Joker couldn't help but let a little smile pass by. He was glad he knew the Commander, and he was honored to be his pilot. _Of course he will never hear me say that out loud, but still. I'm glad to have met him._

Shepard walked down the staircase leading do deck 2 of the _Normandy_ and walked over to Kaidan, fussing over a terminal, same as the past few days. _Man, this ship has a lot of faulty equipment._ Shepard chuckled at his own mental joke, and sat down behind Kaidan, who still didn't notice him. Shepard politely coughed, and Kaidan turned around, wiping an arm across his brow.

"Oh Hey Shepard. What can I do for you?"

Shepard shrugged.

"I'm just making my rounds with the crew. So what's up with the terminal?"

Kaidan let out a frustrated sigh, giving the blasted machine a hateful look.

"You don't want to know."

Shepard laughed at Kaidan's animosity towards the terminal, and even Kaidan grinned about it. As his laughter continued, Kaidan asked a question in an all too evident innocent tone.

"So, Commander, You and Tali huh?"

Shepard stopped laughing immediately, and it was Kaidans turn to laugh, seeing Shepard pull a full 180.

"Wow, Commander, speechless huh?"

"We aren't together Kaidan, and besides it would never work anyways. She has her Pilgrimage, and I have my duty as a Spectre."

Kaidan frowned.

"Commander, pardon me for saying this, But sometimes, you have to forget your sense of duty, and spend time with those you care about."

Shepard glared at Kaidan, and sighed.

"Ok, look. I do like her. I think she is resourceful, kind, and an excellent tech expert. But I can't be anything other than a friend to her."

"What's stopping you from changing that?"

Shepard shook his head.

"First, this would be the first real relationship I have had, and second, She will return to the fleet no matter what, and I can't stop that."

Kaidan paused. How was he going to drive this into his Commander's thick skull?

"It is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all."

Shepard stared blankly at Kaidan.

"Poetry? You read poetry?"

"I've read some."

Shepard sighed again.

"I guess you make a good point. But what if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"It's always a risk, Commander, but it's the same as fighting battles. There are risks you have to take to succeed."

"Ugh. I came down here to have a friendly chat, and I end up getting lectured about love instead?"

Kaidan laughed, and Shepard joined in after a few seconds.

As they both subsided, Shepard stood up, and Kaidan followed suit.

"Thanks for the talk Kaidan."

"My pleasure, Commander. Let me know how it works out between you two."

Shepard rolled his eyes.

"yeah, yeah You'll be the first."

Shepard turned to go, and Kaidan returned to his terminal. He scowled, having forgotten about it during his talk with Shepard. _Ugh. Unsurprisingly, love is easier fix than this machine._ Shepard walked towards the elevator, and stepped in, hitting the button to send it down. He began to ponder Kaidan's words, but quickly pushed them aside. He would talk to everyone else first. Then he could think.

* * *

Ashley was upset, to say the least. She had seen Shepard and Tali talking quite a lot, and there was a lot of pent up jealousy in her. That quarian had been visiting his cabin for the last two days, and again late last night. Ashley tried to hate the girl, but couldn't. _Besides, the Alliance has rules against fraternization with the crew. But I mean, a quarian, of all people?_ Ashley shook her head. She wasn't xenophobic, but she didn't trust aliens, especially turians.

Deep in her dark brooding, she hadn't heard the footsteps approaching her, and when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she tensed, ready to fight. However, a voice was heard before she could do so, and she visibly relaxed.

"Woah there Ashley, It's just me."

She turned around and faced Shepard, who gave her a warm smile that warmed even tough girl Ashley's heart.

"Hey Skipper, what's up?"

Shepard shrugged.

"Nothin, just making my rounds around with the crew, seeing how everyone is settling in."

Shepard glanced around, spotting Garrus working on the Mako, again. His gaze shifted to Wrex, who was leaning against the same crates, again. Shepard let out a light chuckle. He turned back around to Ashley, who had a confused look on her face. He waved a hand about, dismissing the question.

"Ah don't worry about it. It's just, Wrex is doing the same thing he was doing the day before, and Garrus is ever vigilant on that Mako."

Shepard laughed lightly again, but the humor was lost of Ashley. _Why does he trust these aliens so willingly? What if they steal something? _She decided to voice her concerns.

"Skipper, aren't you worried they might try something? Like sabotage, or even steal something? I mean their aliens on an _Alliance_ warship! Shouldn't we put up restrictions?"

Shepard gave her a weird look, and spoke in a flat tone.

"I didn't know you were xenophobic, Williams."

The subtle hint in Shepard's voice was lost on her, and she persisted.

"I'm I just don't trust them. Especially not turians."

"Why?" Shepard blurted out, his voice terse.

Ashley got the much clearer hint, and started stammering nervously.

"Well I mean, 25 years ago-."

"Was 25 years ago!" Shepard interrupted. His voice was sharp, and piercing.

Ashley bit her tongue, drawing blood, the metallic taste in her mouth.

Shepard glared for another second, before relaxing, letting out a short breath.

"Ashley, Shanxi was thirty years ago. Think about it from their viewpoint. Look how developed we were then. We were a completely new race, and we just opened up a mass relay. They didn't know whether or not we were threats, but we were a big population, and intelligent as well. They played it safe. I don't support them by any means, but I understand why they did that. You need to let it go. It happened in the past. Now, we are part of the galactic community, and aboard my ship, I won't have any prejudicial judgments about the other races."

Shepard paused, and continued his lecture.

"Besides, take a look at why they joined up in the first place. Garrus signed up because he wants to bring Saren to justice, and they're the same species. But that doesn't matter to him, because he did a wrong, and he wants to make it right. Wrex said he is just looking for a fight, but I can tell there is more to him he won't tell. Tali, she joined because she wants to help preserve galactic peace, despite what every other race thinks of the quarians. I admire each and every one of their convictions, and I can see past their visor, their voice, their mandibles, and their skull plating to see that they are people too."

Shepard finished his tirade, Ashley thoroughly lectured.

"Ashley, why are you really upset about this? And don't say because this is a humanity problem, so humans should do it, because that's just stupid."

Ashley hesitated. She sighed dejectedly.

"It's because my grandfather was General Williams, the only human to surrender to aliens."

Shepard stared at her hard. Ashley looked away, not wanting to see those eyes right now.

"So?"

Ashley was shocked into anger, and lashed out.

"SO? My entire family has been ridiculed because of that! I get crap assignments because my last name is Willaims!"

Her body was quivering with rage, but Shepard held his ground.

"And being angry at turians and your grandfather are going to change that?"

Ashley stood there, fist clenched, ready to punch her Commander in the face. However, she thought better, and relaxed, letting out slow deep breaths, and unclenching her fists. She realized just how down she was, and replied meekly.

"No."

"Exactly. I'll tell you the same thing I told Tali when she was upset at how quarians were treated. It doesn't matter what people say about you now, what matters is how you plan to change that in the future."

Ashley nodded dully. _He's right, as always Ash. _

"Good. I want you to think long and hard about this, Ashley. And I want you to interact with the crew. You're always down here cleaning your rifle. Go interact and make some friends."

Shepard patted her shoulder, and turned to go. As he took his third step away, Ashley spoke in a quiet voice.

"Commander… about Edolus and Akuze… I'm sorry."

Shepard stiffened, still not comfortable about talking about that.

"Don't be."

He strode off without another word. Ashley sat back down in her stool, visibly chastened. She began cleaning her already spotless rifle, and sighed putting it down. She needed something to drink. She got up and headed towards the elevator, seeing the Commander talking to Wrex. She stepped in and hit the button, watching as Wrex told Shepard a story. Shepard was extremely relaxed, nothing in his posture saying he took Wrex for a threat. The elevator door closed, and she sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Shepard laughed out loud.

"Wait a minute. You mean to tell you battled an asari commando for 2 days on a space station, completely shredded it, took off as it exploded, leaving Aleena there to perish, only to get messaged saying 'better luck next time?' holy shit Wrex."

Wrex chuckled.

"Yeah, I was surprised too, but another part of me was glad she got out. She was a good foe, and maybe I will get to fight her again."

Shepard shook his head, cracking a joke.

"Just not aboard this ship, Wrex. I doubt it would last an hour between you two."

Wrex and Shepard both laughed, two battle-hardened men sharing their stories. Shepard eventually clapped a hand on Wrex, and took his leave, calling back behind him.

"Good talk Wrex, next time; I'll tell you one of my stories."

"Can't wait to hear it, Shepard."

Shepard shook his head. He liked Wrex. He was like a crazy old uncle who had biotics and weighed 800 pounds. _I think me and Wrex will get along just fine. Now Garrus on the other hand, is improving, but still has that pole there._ He crossed over to the side of the cargo bay where Garrus persistently worked on the Mako.

Garrus was currently working on the Mako's undercarriage, perspiration falling down his face. He wiped the sweat off his brow, and reached for the toolbox, only to see it missing. He groaned, and pulled out from underneath, and saw Shepard standing there, toolbox in hand, a grin on his face.

"Ah, hey there Shepard. Mind handing me the tools? I'm currently calibrating something."

Shepard snorted.

"I think you can take a few minutes break, right? How long have you been working on this thing?"

Garrus shrugged.

"Oh I don't know, like an hour or so, maybe 6."

Shepard smiled.

"There ya go, your loosening up, that's good. Here, have a seat with me, let's talk."

Garrus strode over to where Shepard sat on a pile of crates near the nose of the Mako. He sat on the crate next to Shepard, and arched his back. A few pops were heard, and Garrus let out an appreciative sigh. Shepard gave him an amused look, and asked him a question.

"So, did you bring any rations aboard this ship? I know you guys have different protein chirality. Dextro I think right?"

Garrus nodded, impressed with Shepard's knowledge.

"Yeah, I brought some rations along, should last another month, so I should be good until then."

"Ok good. Remind me to ask Tali about that too, I know their dextro as well."

Garrus nodded, and thought about the quarian stereotype he had heard of while working in C-sec. _Thieves and beggars. Suit-rats. And yet, Tali doesn't fit into any of those. _Garrus let slip a quiet sigh, and unfortunately, Shepard heard it.

"Something wrong?"

"I was just thinking about my time in C-sec. We ah… we used to use stereotype certain species."

"Why would you do that?"

Shepard had some real confusion in his voice.

"I don't know, it made things… easier I guess. But my mind is being changed on so many of them."

Shepard narrowed his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was surprisingly level.

"How so?"

"Well, humans were crude, and forceful people, and wanted endless amounts of power. And yet, you contradict that. There is also Tali."

Shepard stiffened, but Garrus was too deep in thought to notice.

"What about her?" he spoke curtly, but Garrus continued nonetheless.

"We had quarians marked as beggars and thieves, the pest of the galaxy."

Shepard clenched his fists. _Not beggars or thieves, resourceful. There a hell of a lot more useful than most._ Shepard slowly breathed, calming himself down. He unclenched his fists, and wondered why he had been so protective about this matter. Garrus continued talking in the background, but he paid him no mind. _I don't like racism, but I've never wanted to hit someone because of it. Usually I can talk people out of it. But I wanted to hit Garrus right in the jaw. Why?_

"But she contradicts that as well." Garrus finished.

Shepard was perplexed. He had totally missed out on what Garrus had said.

"Who contradicts what?"

Garrus glanced at Shepard, and gave him a weird look.

"I said, Tali contradicts all stereotypes I learned about."

"Oh. Good."

There was a brief and somewhat awkward silence between them. Shepard began twiddling his thumbs, and Garrus was shifting uncomfortably. Shepard cleared his throat, and stood up, taking his leave.

"Well I uh… gotta go Garrus. It was uh good talking with you."

"Oh ahem you too Shepard."

Garrus replied awkwardly. Shepard left the toolbox by Garrus, and turned towards Engineering, and his favorite person aboard this ship. Garrus glanced down at the toolbox, and thought about Shepard's strange mood swing. _Shepard seemed… tense when I was talking about Tali… I can't place my talon on it though…_ He shook his head, grabbing his toolbox and gazed at the rolling table, groaning out loud. _Always something to fix with this damned thing._

* * *

Tali was working diligently, completely engrossed in her work. She didn't hear the soft footsteps behind her, but few people heard Shepard walking up behind them. She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and she practically melted in his suit. His touch radiated warmth throughout her whole body, and her suit got just a little hotter. She turned around, beaming in helmet, and she saw Aaron with a smile on his face.

"Hi Shepard." Tali chirped.

"Hey Tali, What are you up to?"

"Oh nothing, just doing some modifications. Hopefully they will make the ship run smoother."

Their conversation was interrupted by Chief Engineer Adams, who had overheard her comment.

"Oh she's being too modest! Ever since you brought her on board, the _Normandy's_ been purring like a kitten! She probably knows her systems better than I do at this point!"

Shepard chuckled, and Tali felt her face turning a deep purple.

"Adams, please, you're embarrassing her, shes blushing!"

Adams laughed out loud, noting down that Shepard had noticed that. Tali also was surprised at how Shepard could tell she was blushing. _Can he see me through my mask? Oh Ancestors I hope not._

Shepard turned back to Tali, who was still turned away, and cocked an eyebrow.

"So, are you really blushing behind your visor?"

"Ummm…. Yes, how did you know?"

Shepard shrugged, not completely sure how he had known. _Maybe I've been paying more attention to her than I thought._

"I don't know. I kind of just… knew."

Shepard saw one of Tali's eyes raise above the other, and laughed again.

"Yes, that's my excuse."

Tali shook her head. _This adorable bosh'tet._

"So, what can I do for you, Shepard?"

Shepard glanced around, and leaned in slightly closer, speaking in a softer tone so no one could eavesdrop.

"First, Thank you for remembering the promise you made."

Tali nodded, and lowered her voice as well.

"Of course, Shepard. And thank you. I know it was hard for you to tell me."

Shepard shrugged. It actually wasn't that hard for him. He had asked himself, if he trusted her, and he did. Completely.

"It wasn't that hard for me. I trust you Tali. I know you won't do anything to break that."

Tali nodded, her suit getting warmer and warmer.

"Thanks, Shepard. It means a lot to hear you say that."

Shepard smiled, his insides feeling all warm and tingly.

A few seconds of silence passed between them, before Tali spoke again, hesitantly.

"So… how are you um… feeling after what happened on Edolus?"

Shepard smiled at how nervous she was. _She's really cute when she's nervous. _

"I'm fine Tali, but I would rather not talk about that right now. I came down here to ask you a few things."

Tali cocked her head, and replied.

"Like what?"

"Well first, Your Dextro amino acid like turians right?"

Tali nodded.

"Ok good, do you have any supplies with you, like food? You probably need sterilized turian food right?"

"Yes, but I was given several months' worth of nutrient paste, so it's fine, Shepard."

"Nutrient paste?"

"Yeah. No flavor, pretty bland, but it keeps us alive."

Shepard frowned.

"Well that won't do. I'll see about getting you some better quality food."

"Wait Shepard you don't have to do that for me." Tali protested.

"You're right. I don't have to. I want to. Because you deserve better and…" _And I love you._ The thought sprang unbidden, and Shepard paused. _Do I truly love this girl?_ It only took one second for his heart to reply. _Yes,you do._ But how would Tali react? Does she even share his feelings about her? Would it even work? She has her Pilgrimage, and you will continue to work as a Spectre. He returned to reality as his prolonged silence was beginning to become suspicious.

"And I'm a Spectre. I can get you better."

Tali wringed her hands about, unsure of what Shepard was saying. _He would do all this for me? But why?_

"Thank you Shepard, I…"

"Don't worry about it Tali. You work hard, so you deserve some real food."

Shepard gave Tali's shoulder another light squeeze, and he turned to leave, saying a short farewell.

"I gotta go. Talk to you later, Tali."

"See you later."

She turned to watch Shepard go, her gaze wandering all over his body. She felt her suit get extremely warm, and quickly looked away, her face flushed deep lavender. She thought about how much Aaron has done for her. He rescued her from assassins, let her aboard his ship, let her access the top of the line technology, and now, was going out of his way to get her food. _Keelah, I love him._

* * *

As Shepard approached the door leading into Engineering, he paused and turned around to admire Tali. She was buried back in her terminal, working again. His gaze wandered over her skin-tight suit, and he admired her curves. He stood there for a good 10 minutes, just admiring her, and he reluctantly turned away, getting into the elevator. He pressed the button, and as the elevator slowly climbed, He thought about her. She helped him through Edolus, and even Akuze. He had told her information few people knew about him. Mindoir, Akuze, and most importantly of all, his name. As he thought of Tali, Kaidan's voice recited that poetic line he had told him earlier. _Kaidan was right. I need to tell her. I need her to know… I love her. But when?  
_

* * *

**A/N**

**Alrighty! I promised you a much larger chapter, and I do believe I have delivered. Lots of fluff, but it wasn't just Shep/Tali, it also helped reveal some character in the squad. Hopefully this pleases thee.**

**Review pl0x. **

**Keelah Se'lai.**


	13. Chapter 12: Therum pt 1

**A/N **

**Jesus Christ, time for the first major plot mission of ME1. Only took me 11 chapters and 44,000 words to get there. Enjoy!**

**Keelah Se'lai.**

* * *

_Chapter 12: Therum pt 1_

"Hey Commander, we're 30 minutes out from Therum. Might want to get ready."

"Thanks Joker."

Shepard was currently in his cabin, and was deep in thought before Joker had interrupted it. He his omni-tool, displaying the time, which was 1530.

"Right on time."

Shepard remarked dryly. Since his rounds with the crew, he had retreated to his cabin, filing out some reports before finally sitting down and relaxing. He thought about many things, he thought about Wrex and his fight with Aleena, Ashley and her slightly xenophobic nature, and Garrus's confusion about how he was taught things. But mostly, he had thought about Tali, and Kaidan's poetic words.

He got up, and stretched out his limbs, making sure he wasn't getting too stiff. He walked out of his cabin and strolled over to his locker positioned outside the medbay. As he passed by, he nodded to Kaidan, still working on that damned terminal, and unlocked his locker. He pulled out his armor, slowly putting on the chestplate, armguards, gloves, and legs. Once he was completely armored, he dropped at hand down to his thigh, where he kept his treasured reminder of Elysium. He lightly felt the handle of it, a type of leather. He drew the knife, hearing the blade slide against the metal sheath. He glanced over the blade, remembering every detail of it. It was about 8 inches long, longer than most knifes, but that didn't matter to him. The blade was matte black, with a smooth, cutting edge, topped by a fine point. It curved ever so slightly, and Shepard was glad he had kept this knife. He has never had to use it in battle yet, (They usually never got close enough for melee combat.), but he liked to keep it as memorabilia.

He sheathed the knife back at his thigh, and pulled out his arsenal of guns. He holstered his AR, pistol, shotgun, and SR. His SR was by far his best weapon. He strode over to the cargo bay elevator, completely outfitted except for his helmet, which he had tucked under his arm. He hit the button, and waited as the elevator painfully crept down to the cargo bay deck. _Jesus, you would think this ship would have a faster elevator._ As the elevator finally dinged at the cargo bay floor, he stepped out and made way towards Engineering.

As he entered, he caught sight of Tali, and couldn't stop a smile from crossing his face. He strode over to her, and lightly tapped her shoulder. Tali turned around and, upon seeing Shepard in full armor, began bouncing on her toes in anticipation.

"Hey Shepard! Are we going on another mission?"

Shepard gave her a grin, and nodded.

"OK I'll go get ready!"

She strolled out of Engineering, leaving Shepard standing there, trying his hardest not to laugh at her eagerness. He finally got himself under control, and walked out the door level with the Mako, and of course, Garrus. For once, Garrus was not underneath the Mako, but on top of it, working on the guns rotary function. As he walked up, Garrus glanced up from his work, spotted Shepard, and turned his attention back to the task.

"Hey Shepard. What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I need you to suit up. We got a mission in about 25 minutes now."

"You bet Shepard."

Garrus's voice was strained as he replied, currently forcing a bolt to loosen. As it popped loose, he let out a sigh, and gave Shepard a nod. He jumped down from the Mako, and headed over to his locker, where Tali was already clipping her weapons on.

Shepard leaned back against the Mako, one foot over the over, and watched them get ready. Well, actually, he was watching one more than the other. Tali walked over to him, fully equipped, and gave him a look of apprehension.

"We're taking the Mako, aren't we?"

"Is there any other way?"

Tali groaned out loud, but inwardly, she was quite excited. She was prepared for the drop this time, and would probably enjoy the sensation much more than her first run. She leaned against the Mako next to him, and asked another question.

"So, when are we going?"

Shepard checked his omni-tool for the time. It was currently 1545.

"Eh, about 15 minutes. Why?"

She shrugged before replying.

"Just curious."

Shepard glanced at her, and cocked an eyebrow at her.

Tali just stared off into the distance.

"Fine, don't tell me."

Tali ignored him pointedly, and kept her body facing forward, where Garrus was prepping his armor and guns. However, her eyes were fixed on Aaron. She couldn't help but admire how heroic he looked in his armor. While Tali was studying him, she saw him smirking. _What is he smiling at?_ She cocked her head slightly; curious at what he was so funny at. Eventually, his face broke out into a wide grin.

He leaned down sideways until his mouth was very close to her audio pickup.

"I can see you staring at me, y'know."

Tali let out a gasp, and her hands flew to her mouthpiece. _Oh Tali, you stupid girl! Now you've done it._

She began stammering incoherently, speaking so fast that Shepard didn't understand a word she said. He put a hand on her shoulder, and turned her to face him. He gave her a warm smile, and squeezed her shoulder.

"Don't worry Tali, you're not in trouble."

Shepard hesitated, not knowing if he should say his next words. After a brief pause, he took a breath and spoke.

"But I do think you and I need to have a talk about what's going on between us."

Tali didn't know what to say. _It's obvious he knows now, but how is he reacting? His answer is so vague. _She stood silently in his grip, and her legs started shaking from pure nervousness.

Shepard saw how agitated she was, and spoke in a reassuring tone.

"Tali, don't worry about it. We can talk later, but for now, let's go find the asari doctor, ok?"

Tali nodded, and she belayed all her fears about the upcoming conversation until after the mission was complete. She relaxed, and Shepard released his grip on her. He returned to his original position, but he lifted a foot off the ground, placing it on the hull of the Mako behind him, and crossed his arms.

Tali leaned against the Mako as well, her arms holding her sides, with more weight placed on one leg than the other. Eventually, Garrus arrived, having donned his armor and weapons. He gave Shepard and Tali a weird glance, before asking the both of them.

"What were you two talking about?"

Shepard remained calm and collected, but Tali, not so much. She stiffened visibly, but before she could start running her tongue, Shepard replied coolly.

"The mission details. We're landing on the planet Therum, several kilometers from the digsite. It's a volcanic planet, so it should be fun. Same positions as Edolus."

Garrus paused for a second, before his old detective skills kicked in. _He's very calm and collected, but I can tell he is lying by the way Tali reacted when I spoke. What are those two hiding? _ He mentally shrugged. He would figure it out eventually.

"Sounds good, Shepard. I'll be in the Mako until we're ready."

Garrus unlocked the hatch, and jumped in, leaving it open for them to follow up in whenever. Shepard glanced down at Tali and winked, before climbing into the Mako. Tali let out a sigh of relief, extremely glad at how calm Aaron had been and how he came up with decent lie. She climbed into the Mako after him, and took her seat in the co-pilot chair. Garrus was seated in the gunner chair, and Shepard was in the driver's seat.

Garrus ran checkups for his guns, while Tali made sure all systems were at 100% or higher. Shepard just sat there, lounged across his chair, as his gaze shifted between the two.

"Ah, being in charge in great. I can just sit here while you guys work."

Garrus was about to say something, but was cut off by Tali.

"Bosh'tet."

"You still haven't told me what that means."

"And I never will."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

Garrus watched the exchange with increasing interest. _Since when did these two become so friendly? And Tali so snippy? _

"What about after I get you quarian compatible food?"

Tali put a finger to her mouthpiece and her helmet tilted, putting on an extremely thoughtful look.

"Hmmmm."

Shepard grinned Tali's exaggerated thoughtfullness , and waited for her to reply.

"Maybe, Shepard, just maybe."

"Well, it's something."

"Hey Commander, "Joker's voice crackled through the Mako's interior. " We're approaching the atmosphere. You guys ready for the drop?"

Shepard thumbed the comm button, replying as soon as Joker finished.

"We're all set Joker. Launch us when you're ready."

"Aye aye, Commander."

Joker's voice disappeared, and Shepard turned his body so the two of them were in easy viewing distance.

"So, are you two going to enjoy it this time around?"

"You're joking, right Shepard? Of course I will, now that I know about it."

"Same. You're still a bosh'tet for doing that to us."

Shepard shrugged, a lopsided grin on his face.

"It was worth it. Your reactions were priceless."

Before either Tali or Garrus could retort, the cargo bay door opened. As they watched it slowly open the bay to the sky, the Mako rocketed out of the _Normandy,_ falling several hundred feet down to the deep red soil of Therum. On their way down ,they spotted the path they were taking towards their destination. It was in a long canyon, with lava rivers and lakes dotting the area. It wound around them in a precarious manner, before ending in front of a mountain, where a tunnel was dug through it. They landed on Therum with a solid thump, and rolled a few meters before coming to a complete stop.

Shepard turned back to face them both.

"So, how was it?"

"Much better."

"Agreed."

Garrus spoke up first, followed quickly by Tali.

Shepard smirked, and turned back to face the impromptu road.

"Told you guys you would enjoy it."

He floored the gas pedal before they could respond, and took off down the path.

* * *

"Commander, we got geth signatures closing in on your location. Looks like a geth dropship."

Shepard sighed. They had only been driving for a few minutes before Joker's warning resounded throughout the Mako.

"Nothing is ever easy, is it?" Shepard murmured.

"We'll be honest Shepard, we're you expecting to pick up Matriarch Benezia's daughter without fighting someone?"

"Oh, just shut up Garrus, no need to rub it in."

Garrus grinned at his terminal, enjoying the ability to freely talk in front of his CO. _I could get used to this. I could REALLY get used to this._ He turned his attention back to the red blips on his radar, and scanned the terrain for them with the guns.

A massive shadowed appeared on top of the Mako, and the geth dropship flew overhead, dropping two large geth platforms on their path. They had never seen the likes of them before, and they needed a name to tag them in battles.

"Let's call these ones Geth armatures."

Tali glanced over at Shepard, and shrugged.

"Sure, why not?"

"Sound's good to me."

One of the armatures, the one closest to them exploded, the strange white fluid of geth spraying out in every direction. While Garrus waited for the cannon to reload, the geth armature shot out a veritable volley of small fire rounds, peppering the Mako, but doing minimal damage to shields.

"Shields at 89%"

"Sounds about right." Shepard muttered through gritted teeth. He was tasked to the max attempting to dodge the volley of bullets and massive cannon shots from the armature, waiting for Garrus to finish his work. As the indicator that said the cannon had reloaded popped up, Garrus was already pulling the trigger, the round penetrating the geth shields and blowing it up, causing a fantastic explosion to ensue.

Shepard hit the brakes, and the Mako slowed to a checked Tali's monitor and saw their shields at 82%. Shepard shrugged. _Not bad, could have been worse. _Shepard pressed his foot back down on the gas pedal, heading towards the tunnel.

Throughout the next half hour, the process of battling geth and driving continued, their shields never falling to critical amounts. It was almost easy at that point. After dispatching about 6 more groups of them, they reached part of the road completely inaccessible to their Mako, and they had to settle for going in on foot.

Shepard, Garrus, and Tali all jumped out of the Mako, passing in between tall pillars of rocks strewn across the path. The path was slowly elevating, and they reached a flat area with some more fallen rock pillars, and an upward slope curving to the right and around bend.

Shepard had his SR out, same with Garrus, and Tali with her shotgun. Shepard took point with Garrus, leaving Tali protected behind them. He didn't want Tali taking any fire if it were up to him. But he knew he couldn't protect her completely. Still, it didn't hurt to take precautions. Shepard and the party stopped as the mechanical 'speaking' of the geth reached their ears, or audio pickups in Tali's case. Everyone dove for cover as a geth patrol rounded the hill, guns drawn and triggered squeezed. Geth fire rained down upon them, but Shepard and Garrus took their time, taking shots when they could. Tali even hacked a geth platform to start attacking its allies, giving Shepard and Garrus a few seconds to wreak some havoc.

The battle only lasted a few minutes before the geth were nothing but a scrap heap. Shepard viewed his handiwork, along with Garrus and Tali. Shepard turned to Tali, and complimented her.

"That was a pretty neat trick, Tali. Didn't know you could do that."

Tali shrugged.

"Neither did I. Just thought I might try it."

"Well I'm glad you did, now we have a new weapon against them. So, Garrus, you keeping count?"

Garrus shrugged his shoulders dismissively.

"Should I?"

"Well, thought we could make things interesting. Have a little bit of a contest, see how good you really are with that peashooter."

Garrus stroked his chin thoughtfully for a second, before nodding.

"You're on Shepard. What's the wager?"

Shepard paused, before turning to Tali.

"You want in on this, Tali?"

"You guys are really going to start a wager on how many geth you kill?"

Shepard gave her a lopsided smile.

"Yeah why not? Makes it more interesting."

Tali sighed.

"Men."

Garrus and Shepard exchanged glances.

"Guess that means she doesn't want in."

Shepard shrugged.

"Guess not. Ok, wager is… I'll come up with something later. Or you can, depending on who wins."

"Sounds good to me."

Tali interrupts the two at this point, somewhat irritated.

"Can we just get on with it? We're kind of on a mission here."

Shepard and Garrus both stared at Tali, before nodding. However, as Shepard passed her, he muttered quietly into her audio pickup.

"Well, you're no fun."

Tali mock scowled at him. She knew he was only joking, but still, being fake angry with him was kind of fun.

"Bosh'tet."

* * *

"Christ, this is a tough one."

Shepard, Garrus and Tali had been in a ferocious firefight for the past 15 minutes. After they had breached the first hill, another detachment of geth was battled with, a geth sniper thrown into the mix. That fight took about 8 minutes to complete, due to sheer numbers. After that battle, a rampway was forged into the side of a cliff, and they climbed up, seeing the entrance to the excavation site at the stop. As they approached, a structure that looked like some sort of container/pump was stationed out front. Past that, there was a sheer cliff, about 20 feet across and 100 feet down.

As they had walked up, the geth dropship loomed over, and dropped an even larger version of the armature, a couple of shock troopers capable of laying down kinetic barriers, and geth "hoppers", their bodies strangely organic, and they constantly hopped from surface to surface. Those were especially annoying.

Now, however, they were thinning out the geth forces, and all that was left was the colossus and some geth rocket troops stationed above it on a catwalk. Shepard and Garrus had their AR's out, and were pouring bullets into the colossus, attempting to use the 'death by a thousand cuts' idea. Tali was furiously working on hacking one of the geth rocket troops to help alleviate some pressure off of them.

Finally, she broke though, and the left rocket geth suddenly pivoted its weapon towards its companion, and squeezed the trigger. The other geth unit exploded with nothing but bits of metal and geth fluid left. The rocket trooper aimed down at the colossus, dealing mediocre damage to its hardy shields. The colossus turned around to fight the new threat, ignoring Shepard and his gang, firing what Shepard had labeled 'siege pulse', completely obliterating the geth on the platform. However, it had its back to Shepard and his squad, and with its shield already weakened, it stood no chance of survival. AR and shotgun shells poured into the Colossus's back and legs, the legs crumpling under the sustained gunfire. The Colossus fell, its armor plating being ripped to shreds by the continuous gunfire, and became completely inert after a few more rounds from all three.

All three let out a breath none had realized they were holding. All three of realized just how taxing that fight had been. Shepard allowed them a moment to catch their breath, but he knew he had to move fast. The geth were throwing a lot at them to stop them from reaching the Dr. T'soni, who Shepard had no doubt was on this planet.

Shepard had his hands above his head, and was slowly breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, his breath returning to normal quickly. He saw Garrus doing the same thing, and Tali just sat there on a rock, her chest slowly rising and falling. Shepard leaned down to his rifle, which he had laid down to begin his breathing excerise, and picked it up.

He glanced at Tali and Garrus, and nodded off towards the mine entrance, moving while he spoke.

"Come on you two. The sooner we get Dr. T'soni, the sooner we can rest back on the _Normandy._"

Garrus picked up his rifle, and Tali stood up from her seated position. They ran to catch up with Shepard, who was approaching the half way mark of the ramp leading up to the door. As they caught up, Shepard struck up a conversation.

"Ok, let's take this slow, but keep your weapons drawn. There may be more inside."

"Hey Shepard." He recognized that voice as Tali. "What if we find her, and the geth already have her, or killed her?"

Shepard shrugged.

"Then we came here for nothing. But I don't think the geth would have orders to kill her. She is an expert of prothean technology, so she might know about the Conduit."

"So you think the geth are here to take her away?"

"Most likely."

Garrus spoke up at this point.

"Yeah let's not let that happen, I'm currently down 4 kills right now."

Shepard chuckled tiredly.

"Don't worry Garrus, you're still going to lose nonetheless."

"We'll see about that Shepard."

Tali rolled her eyes. _Men._

They hit the top of the ramp, the door the only thing stopping them from entering the mine. Shepard prepped his AR, Garrus adjusted the sight, and Tali cocked her shotgun. Together, they all stood ready, waiting for Shepard to hit the panel. Shepard stepped up to the door, and hit the panel, opening the mouth, and leaped into belly of the beast.

* * *

**A/N**

**I'm tired. But before I go pass out, Tuesday, April 15****th**** I had 572 people read my story, so thanks guys for all your continued reading and support of my story. Leave me a review letting me know if you guys want me to do a story about the 2 years the crew is Shepard-less.**

**Keelah Se'lai. Gonna go pass out now.**


	14. Chapter 13: Therum pt 2

**A/N**

**Would have uploaded this earlier, but I had to take a state test at 9 AM, and I get up at 1 PM, so there was a need for some sleep.**

* * *

_Chapter 13: Therum pt 2_

Shepard and his squad walked down the entrance pipe of the excavation site. Shepard palmed open the second door at the bottom, and it exposed the first level of the prothean ruins. At the very back wall of the cave, prothean architecture stuck out of the wall. They stepped out onto a balcony that overviewed the entire area, with a path heading out to their right and down to where the prothean structure was. Near the far wall, an elevator was made, no doubt leading down to more prothean ruins.

Shepard, Garrus and Tali all kept their weapons free, and Shepard took point, walking down the ramp way. They hit the bottom floor of the room, and walked across the catwalk, entering the elevator once they got there. Tali and Garrus were filed in first, and Shepard stood in front of them, closest to the elevator door. The elevator slowly slid down, creaking loudly.

Shepard stood with his rifle pointed down, and began whistling a tune. Garrus and Tali both glanced at each other, neither knowing what he was doing.

"Uh Shepard?"

"Yes Tali?"

"What are you doing?"

"Whistling?"

"Yeah. Something a lot of humans do when they're in a good mood, or bored."

"And which one are you?"

Shepard shrugged.

"Well I'm not bored. Does that answer your question?"

Tali scoffed.

"Not really."

Shepard shrugged again.

"I'll tell you later if you tell me what bosh'tet means."

Tali smirked in her helmet.

"I don't really want to know anyways."

"Aw, that wounds me deeply." Shepard teased.

Before Tali could reply, their elevator jerked violently, and they were suspended in the air. Suddenly, the elevator plummeted down to the bottom floor, stopping just meters from the ground, wear an array of broken metal pipes and pillars were strewn. They crashed heavily, and everyone was forced down flat by the sudden stop. A massive dust cloud was spreading around them, born out of their rapid descent.

Garrus groaned and Tali groaned as they felt the bruises forming beneath their suits. Shepard started coughing as some dust got into his lungs. He stood up shakily, and turned to help up Tali and Garrus. Once he checked them over, saw they had no injuries or suit punctures, he surveyed his surroundings.

They were apparently on top of an unfinished scaffolding of sorts, which led down to the very bottom floor. There was a much larger area here than on the other levels, and there was a camp in place, but there was no activity seen in the camp. Shepard glanced down from the elevator and saw they had about a two meter drop until they were on the scaffolding.

Shepard lightly jumped down, grunting slightly as he made impact. Garrus and Tali both had biologically stronger legs than humans, and made the jump with ease. Shepard still had his AR in hand and Tali her shotgun. Garrus had dropped his in the fall, but he picked it back up before joining the two. All three checked their guns to make sure none were too beat up to stop working. As Tali and Shepard finished, they heard Garrus groan.

"What's up Garrus?"

"Ah, nothing, damn thing's sight is off center." Garrus grumbled.

Shepard smiled.

"Could be worse, you know."

"Yeah, yeah."

Shepard took off down the ramp, as it twisted and continued under the top walkway. This continued a few more times before they reached a raised platform, about 5 feet from the bottom of the cave. As they all approached the balcony overlooking the area, no one noticed the blue energy field behind them, or the asari floating in the air behind that.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Shepard spun around slowly, while Garrus and Tali turned weapons primed. As Shepard saw the asari, he motioned for them to lower their guns. He walked straight up to the field with Garrus and Tali flanking him, and crossed his arms.

"Are you Dr. Liara T'soni?"

The asari was wearing a green and white lab coat of sorts, and she was fairly young, or at least to Shepard. _She looks like little more than a teenager, but then again she could be hundreds of years older than me. _She was currently trapped in the room, a sheer drop behind her and a force field in front of her. She was currently suspended in a large bubble, no doubt a security mechanism. When, she replied, her voice was surprised.

"Y- Yes, how did you know?"

Shepard waved off the matter dismissively.

"That doesn't matter right now. But my next few questions do matter."

"First, your mother, Matriarch Benezia, is helping the ex-Spectre, Saren Arterius, meaning she herself has become a traitor. Are you helping her?"

The asari's voice was incredulous.

"What? My mother has become a traitor?"

"Yes. It was confirmed by the asari Councilor."

The asari shook her head, tears threatening to spill forth, but she controlled her emotions.

"No, I haven't spoken with my mother in years, and I am most certainly not a traitor!"

Shepard paused, and thought about her response. _She doesn't seem like one who would deceive. She's too… innocent for that. _

"Fine. Do you know why these geth are after you?"

The asari shook her head tiredly.

"No. They came several days ago. I locked myself in this room, placing that energy field, but I accidently hit something I wasn't supposed to, and I've been suspended in the bubble for the past few days. Why are these geth here for me?"

Shepard replied curtly.

"They are here for you. You are a prothean expert, or so I've heard, and Saren is looking for an ancient prothean technology called the Conduit."

The asari shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I know not of this Conduit. But please, release me and I will help you any way I can."

During their conversation, Tali had been hacking into Shepard's omni-tool, and finally got in. She quickly hooked up her personal comm with his, and spoke directly to him.

"Aaron, I don't trust her."

Shepard paused, glancing down to Tali, who was still looking at the trapped asari. He quickly turned to Garrus, and gave him orders.

"Garrus, go scouting down into the camp, make sure no one can sneak up on us."

Garrus hesitated, but complied, and jogged off towards a ramp leading down into the large space. Shepard watched him leave, and returned to Tali. He grabbed her arm and guided her a few feet away, until they were out of earshot.

"Why not?" Shepard murmured quietly.

Tali continued to talk through his personal comm.

"I don't know. Something is off about her, Aaron. I mean, we conveniently show up in time to stop her from being taken away Saren's troops?"

Shepard looked pointedly at her, arching an eyebrow.

"If I remember correctly, that's how I saved a certain quarian girl."

Tali had no response for that. She suddenly became very interested in the ground. Shepard still had his hand on Tali's arm, and he jerked it so she was looking him in the eyes again.

"Tali, look. I am a pretty good judge of character. I knew what each and every one of you who joined my crew was capable of. Except you. I took a big risk in letting you join me on my mission, but I don't regret it one bit. You've been a huge help to everyone on the Normandy, including me. Liara is not in league with her mother, I can tell. I need you to trust me on this."

Shepard looked into her luminous eyes, and Tali lost all arguments she had. Instead, she brought her arm up to his, and lightly brushed his bicep. When she spoke again, it was little more than a whisper.

"I trust you, Aaron."

Shepard smiled, and released his firm grip on Tali.

"Good. Now, come on, let's talk with her more."

They both walked back over to where the asari, Liara, had watched the conversation with interest. _Why did he send the turian away? Why did he only speak with the quarian?_ Shepard asked her another question, and her thoughts refocused on responding.

"What can you tell me about the geth here?"

Liara shook her head.

"You know more about the geth than me. However, A krogan battlemaster was here earlier, and he seems to be in charge of the geth."

Shepard hummed thoughtfully; bringing a hand to his chin. He was quiet for a bit before responding.

"How do I get you out of there?"

Liara inwardly let out a huge sigh of relief. _So they are going to release me, thank the goddess._ Outwardly though, she began to detail what she knew about it.

"I know you cannot do it from out there. It can only be deactivated from that terminal." She nodded her head towards a terminal a couple inches from where she hovered.

"Well, how do I get into that room?"

The asari shook her head tiredly.

"That, I cannot help you with."

Shepard harrumphed, and turned around to face the cave area. As he began thinking, his eyes were scanning the area in the hopes of seeing something they could use. A flash of blue caught his attention, and he saw Garrus crouched behind a pile of rocks. He motioned for Shepard to come down, but quietly. Shepard got the hint, and turned to Tali.

"Something's up. Go down to Garrus, and do it quietly."

Tali nodded, and readied her shotgun, stepping softly down towards where Garrus was. Shepard turned back towards Dr. T'soni.

"I'll be back as soon as I can free you, Dr. T'soni."

Shepard took off down the ramp before she could reply, and softly ran down to the cover where Garrus and Tali were. He crouched down next to Tali, and asked Garrus what was wrong.

"What is it, Garrus?"

"Geth."

Shepard nodded, and readied himself for the upcoming engagement.

"How many?"

"About seven of them, Shepard."

"Ok, Garrus, pick them off with your SR, Me and Tali can handle any that get too close."

Garrus swapped weapons, and flipped the scope up. He took up position, his rifle secured on top of his cover, while he took position down on one knee. He turned his head towards Shepard and nodded, letting him know he was ready. Shepard checked over his cover, seeing an array of geth troopers, shock troopers, and a few rocket troopers.

Shepard gave Garrus the signal to open fire, and he dropped a geth platform. Every geth reacted simultaneously, and began returning fire almost immediately. Shepard pointed his gun at any geth in range, and Tali hacked a rocket drone in the back, the remaining 5 geth suddenly caught in a crossfire. The hacked geth trooper took out a pack of two, before dying to a return rocket from its companion. Garrus dimmed the flashlight of the other rocket trooper, and Tali sabotaged a shock trooper's systems, and it overloaded into a bright confetti explosion. Shepard peppered the final geth trooper, with a volley of bullets, leaving it as nothing but a pile of scrap metal and white fluid.

Everyone stood up from their cover as they made sure they were all down for sure. Shepard scanned the bodies, and turned back to Garrus and Tali behind him.

"Good work you two." Shepard gave them an approving smile.

"Now, let's look for some way to free the good doctor."

* * *

"Hey Tali, come check this out."

The voice spoke directly into her suit, and she recognized the voice as Shepard. She stood up from a pile of garbage tech where she had been searching for anything to help them free Dr. T'soni. She looked around for Shepard, and found him standing in front of a large piece of machinery, something that resembled a thermal laser drill. She strode over to him, replying over comm.

"Yes, Aaron?"

Shepard gestured towards the machinery, assuming Tali could see him.

"You think this could work?"

She finally reached Shepard, and stopped to look at the mining equipment. She studied it thoroughly, and shrugged.

"Depends on what you plan to use it for."

"Hmm."

Shepard's thoughtful hmm spread into Tali's helmet, and a warm smile spread across her face.

"Well, take a look at the ground over there."

Shepard pointed off towards a large open space below where the Dr. T'soni was trapped, and she saw a large piece of the ground that was different than the rest. It looked newer, and it looked like it was placed there on purpose.

"There is a section of it that's different than the rest."

"Yes, exactly. I'm 99% sure that it's a path that leads behind Dr. T'soni. So uh… I kind of need you to turn it on."

Shepard smiled his best award-winning smile, and Tali couldn't help but giggle at Shepard asking her to fix some tech.

"Fine, I'll do it."

She stepped up towards the control panel on the drill, and began tinkering with it. Shepard called Garrus over, who was currently rummaging through one of the tents, and he jogged over. He silently asked Shepard a question, but Shepard just shook his head, telling him to just wait.

A few minutes later, the drill hummed with energy, vibrating the ground as it shook with power. Tali clapped her hands together several times, dust flying off her fingers, and rubbed her hands against her legs, staining her suit with light brown dirt streaks. Tali shrugged dismissively as she saw the marks. _I can clean my suit later. _

Shepard walked up to her left side, and she turned to face him. Shepard smiled at her.

"Thanks, Tali."

"Of course, Shepard. Just hit that button when you're ready." Tali's arm extended until she was pointing at a large red button.

Shepard walked up and palmed the button, the laser drill bursting to life and penetrating the makeshift rock floor. It collapsed under the laser, and Shepard smashed the button again, turning the laser off. As the dust settled, they saw a large opening in the ground, leading to more prothean architecture.

Shepard smiled, a cocky expression on his face.

"I'm so smart."

"And yet, you couldn't turn the drill on by yourself."

Tali's retort was stinging, and Shepard mentally shook his head at her. _Jesus this woman always has a a comeback.  
_

"When did you get so clever? What happened to that shy quarian girl I picked up on the Citadel?"

Tali shrugged.

"You took her on your ship and brought her into combat."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow.

"So it's my fault you're suddenly clever?"

Tali scoffed.

"I was always clever; I just didn't show it earlier."

Shepard glanced at Garrus, who was peering intently at the two of them. _By the spirits why can't I figure this out? They weren't like this before. What did I miss?_

Shepard shook his head.

"Fine I guess you win this one. Let's go before you insult my pride again."

Shepard strode off towards the hole, and Tali had a huge smile on his face. _I guess Aaron isn't as clever with words as I thought._ She was enjoying the constant grilling she was giving Shepard. She enjoyed spending time with Aaron immensely; even on combat missions, and she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Tali quickly followed after Shepard and Garrus, who were already down on the next level. She hadn't realized she was just standing there. She jogged to catch up with them, reaching them as they stopped in front of the next room.

They were surrounded by prothean architecture, and the floor was a large disk, with a few support pillars meeting at a point above the center of the disk. At the center, was a terminal, with only 1 defined shape on the screen. All three looked up, and saw they were in a massive tower of sorts, with holes in the walls leading to the other areas of the excavation system. Shepard strode over to the terminal, with Garrus and Tali following somewhat apprehensively.

Shepard studied the terminal for a bit, which was green instead of the orange of their standard interfaces today. Shepard shrugged. _People didn't succeed without taking risks. _He tapped the interface, and the ground jerked beneath them, and slowly it rose up.

"Huh. It's an elevator."

As they approached the next opening, Shepard hit the interface again, and the elevator slowed until it was level with the opening, and lo and behold, they were now behind Dr. T'soni.

Liara heard the commotion behind her, and desperately prayed it was Commander Shepard. As the sounds ended, footsteps were heard, and a cheery whistle reached her ears. Shepard walked past her and up to the terminal she had pointed out earlier.

"Good evening, Dr. T'soni."

"W-What? How did you…"

"Laser drill." Shepard smiled at her through his teeth.

"Oh, I see, very clever."

"Thank you." Shepard glanced at Tali pointedly, and she rolled her eyes.

He palmed the surface of the terminal, and the blue force field dropped, along with the bubble suspending Dr. T'soni. She fell down, one knee to the floor, and looked up to see a hand offered out to help her help. She placed her hand in Shepard's and he pulled her up, being either forceful or exceedingly gentle. _This Commander Shepard is an amazing specimen of the human species. _She couldn't help but admire the Commander's air of authority combined with his easy-going manner. His eyes were a soft brown, and were caring eyes, but also ones that could instill loyalty to the people around him, or fear into his enemies.

She stood up with Shepard's help, and her hand lingered longer than normal. Tali narrowed her eyes at Dr. T'soni, already hating the woman. She could see the intrigue in her eyes, and a primal growl was growing inside of her, threatening to pour forth. Fortunately, she controlled her emotions. _No, Shepard wouldn't be wooed by her. He's not that shallow and easy._

"Thank you Commander, I fear if you hadn't arrived, I would have been grabbed by the geth…"

Her voice faded off towards the end, and she stood there with her fingers nervously twirling and her gaze downcast. Shepard was about to reply, when the entire cave shook violently, causing Liara to fall down, while Shepard Tali and Garrus managed to stay on their feet. Shepard helped her up again, but this time with more urgency.

"What was that?"

Liara began rattling off her train of thought.

"The thermal drill! I fear it may have triggered a seismic event!"

The cave rumbled deeply around them, chunks of the ceiling breaking off and crashing downwards. Shepard lead the group back towards the elevator, hitting the interface and contacting Joker through his omni-tool.

"Joker!"

"Commander! We're reading a lot of seismic activity. Everything ok down there?"

Shepard gritted his teeth, and spoke curtly.

"No, I need you to get down here fast, before we all die."

"Got it, Commander. I'll be there in 4 minutes."

Tali shook her head.

"He needs to move faster."

Shepard nodded fractionally.

"Agreed."Their elevator slowly rised to the top level, where they saw the mine entrance in the back, and everyone headed off towards the exit. Before they could leave the elevator though, the doorway leading into the cave system was filled with a massive krogan, flanked by several geth units.

The krogan strode forward until he was on the step from the edge of the elevator, and spoke in a bored tone.

"Surrender the asari. Or don't. more fun that way."

Shepard sighed, frustrated. _Of all the times to pick for a fight with a krogan battlemaster…_

Shepard didn't bother replying. He unlatched his SR, drawing and sighting a geth unit in less than 2 seconds, dropping it.

"Aha! I was hoping you would say that!" The krogan laughed, and drew his shotgun. Liara crouched down paralyzed with fear, but Tali and Garrus went to work. There were two geth remaining after Shepard dropped the first one, and Tali hacked it to attack its counterpart, while Garrus focused on the krogan battlemaster with Shepard.

They poured round after round into him, but his shields were just too strong. The krogan battlemaster was circling around the ring, shotgun in hand, spraying flak. Liara was smart enough to surround herself in a biotic barrier to stop her from being harmed. As the krogan saw he was getting nowhere, he dropped his shotgun, and charged at the nearest person.

Tali.

She turned her gun towards the charging krogan, and fired several shots, but it wasn't enough. He crashed into her, and tossed her aside, smashing her into the wall. She slumped down, her entire body slack, completely unconscious.

To his credit, Shepard didn't cry out in fear for Tali's life. Instead, he was gripped with a fury unimaginable to most species. Shepard dropped his gun angrily, and drew his batarian knife, fully intent of facing the krogan battlemaster in close quarters.

Garrus warned him, but Shepard paid no heed to him. He was going to brutally murder this krogan whelp.

"Shepard wait!"

The krogan turned back Shepard, and laughed a guttural chuckle.

"Not your wisest move, human weakling."

The way Shepard pulsated with fury and rage would have been enough to cow most species into surrendering, even krogan. But this battlemaster was a fool, and all he saw was a human weakling.

They began to circle each other, the krogan unarmed and Shepard blade drawn. Shepard spoke forcefully, attempting to keep his rage from interfering with his duty as Commander.

"Garrus, take Liara and get out of here. I'll follow you out after I've dealt with this scum."

Garrus hesitated, but knew better than to question Shepard in his current mood. _I've never seen him like this before. _He ran over to Liara, and helped her up, leading the way out of the room, while the room shook violently again, causing more rocks to fall. Garrus dodged and weaved in between them with Liara behind, and made it out with no injuries. Garrus turned back to face the mine, anxiously waiting for Shepard to keep to his promise.

Back in the elevator, Shepard and the krogan were still, waiting for the other one to make the first move. The krogan let out a massive battle roar, and charged Shepard. Shepard held his ground, knife poised for a thrust, while he waited for the krogan to reach him, the rage in his eyes burning intensely. The krogan was mere meters from Shepard as he suddenly rolled sideways, just enough to get out of the way.

The krogan missed his rush, as he had his eyes pointed down in a fatal mistake. When he hit nothing, he slid to a stop, and glanced up, confused about the lack of contact. He heard a shuffle slightly behind him, and spun to face his adversary, only to get a knife buried into his eye, the 8 inch long blade reaching all the way into his brain. Several systems of his body shut down, including his respiratory system.

The krogan screamed in pain, only to collapse to his knees, his breath becoming ragged. He stared up at his killer, the human weakling, and saw the pure rage in his eyes.

For the first time in his life, he felt fear and helplessness. As his body began to seize up, he choked out a final plead.

"Please… give me… the honor of… death."

Shepard stared with fire in his eyes, and spoke with a voice laced with venom and hate.

"No. You can suffer and die like a coward."

The krogan choked back tears at his fate, and fell face down onto the floor, his chest heaving a few last times before his lungs stopped pumping air, and he died with shame in his eyes.

Shepard strode over to the still body of Tali, and crouched down to carefully pick her up. The fear that Tali could be dead reached his mind, and tears slid down his face, landing on Tali's visor. Those luminous eyes he loved to look into were gone, extinguished. He cradled her body against his own, and the earth shook once again, and he remembered where he was.

He began to jog out of the elevator room, dodging falling rocks and debris. He reached the entrance of the mine, and slowed down as his world seemed to collapse around him. He reached the preliminary door of the entrance, and palmed it open, to be met face to face with Garrus, relief at seeing Shepard alive.

"Shepard! Thank the Spirits your alive!"

His relief disappeared at the sight of Tali in his arms, Shepard spoke curtly.

"Where's the _Normandy?"_

Garrus didn't have time to reply as the ship itself touched down by the sheer cliff, just enough room for them to enter through the cargo bay. Shepard strolled off, completely ignoring Liara and Garrus. _I need to get her to Chakwas. _He paced quickly on board the _Normandy, _Where Kaidan, Wrex, and Ashley were standing guard to make sure no surprise attacks could be launched.

They each saw Shepard carrying the limp body of Tali, and not one person said anything.

He distanced himself from them until he entered the elevator. He glanced down at Tali's limp form, his eyes filled with determination. _She will live, I know it. Chakwas can save her._

The elevator opened, and he strode quickly into the medbay, where Chakwas was sitting at her desk. She looked up at Shepard and saw Tali's limp form, and immediately strode across the room to choose a medical bed for him to place her on.

"What happened?" Chakwas wasted no time in performing a scan of her, to see her injuries. Shepard explained what happened.

"A krogan battlemaster tackled her, and she was thrown into a wall, hard."

His voice was filled with helplessness as he pictured the scene in his head.

Chakwas completed her scan, and checked the results, her face becoming grim as she read it through. Shepard watched anxiously as she read it over, and his eyes were flicking back and forth between Tali and Chakwas. Shepard could take it no more, and blurted out, somewhat irritated.

"Can you help her?"

Chakwas sighed, and closed her omni-tool. She walked over to one of the medical stations, opening it and pulling out several applications of medigel. She responded to Shepard while doing so.

"Most of her bones are broken or fractured, severe internal bleeding, and a heavy concussion."

Shepard blanched in fear as she spoke, but something clicked in his head. _She didn't answer you._

"But you can save her?" His voice was strained, the ever so slight hint of hope tinged with his fear and concern.

Chakwas strolled over to medical cabinet, and began pulling out a decontamination unit, along with antibiotics and herbal supplements. Finally, once she gathered them up, she turned back to Shepard, staring him in the eye. She saw the fear in his eyes, and she couldn't find it in her heart to tell him it wasn't as easy as that. Instead, she gave him hope, and silently prayed she could fulfill it.

"Yes, I can save her."

* * *

**A/N**

**BOOM! MOTHERFUCKIN PLOT TWIST! MWAHAHAHAHAHA DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMIN!**

**Unlucky Number 13, man! i had to write at least one bad thing.**

**Review, and pray Tali makes a full recovery. **

**Keelah Se'lai!**


	15. Chapter 14: Therum Aftermath

**A/N**

**Keelah Se'lai.**

* * *

_Chapter 14: Therum Aftermath_

Shepard left the medbay, his mind filled with worrisome thoughts. He was confronted by Kaidan, Ashley and Garrus, Kaidan and Ashley flooding him with questions.

"How is she, Commander?"

"Will she make it?"

Shepard glanced at Garrus, who stood behind both of them, his eyes downcast. Shepard didn't answer their questions, instead giving them orders.

"Kaidan, you're in charge until I say so. Ashley, go back to your post. That's an order."

Both of them saluted, their eyes filled with concern at how Shepard was acting all of a sudden. He was acting irrationally considering their mission. Ashley turned to leave, but Kaidan remained behind for his orders.

"Commander, what do you want me to tell the crew?"

Shepard glared at Kaidan hard, before speaking again, his voice thick with tension.

"Tell Joker we're going back to the Citadel to resupply."

Kaidan nodded, and turned on his heel to head up towards the cockpit. As he rounded up the stairs, he relaxed his posture, and shook his head. _I hope she makes it. Otherwise, Shepard will never be the same again._

Shepard watched Kaidan leave, and turned back to Garrus, who hadn't said anything.

"Well? What is it, Garrus?"

Garrus opened his mouth to reply, but closed it before he could. He sighed, and began speaking.

"Shepard, I'm sorry about Tali. I should have-"

"You should have what? Seen it coming? Gotten her out of harm's way?"

Shepard interrupted Garrus abruptly, his voice icy.

"Garrus, none of us could have expected that krogan to charge Tali. Stop blaming yourself right now. Return to the cargo bay. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Garrus saluted stiffly, somewhat hurt at how the Commander had retorted. He turned to go, and entered the elevator, feeling Shepard's gaze on the back of his head. He stepped in, and sighed, worrisome thoughts about Shepard filling his head. He hit the button, and the elevator began slowly descending.

Shepard watched as Garrus turned into the elevator, and turned his attention back to the medbay where Chakwas was working furiously on Tali. He stared at the door with a mixture of rage and frustration. He began pacing back and forth in front of the door, resisting the urge to punch the wall, considering it might break Chakwas's attention.

15 minutes passed, before Shepard got sick of pacing back and forth, and stomped over to the mess hall table, grabbing and dragging a chair to bring it right next to the medbay door, and sat down. Once seated, he slouched forward, all the tension and frustration leaving his body, replaced with helplessness.

He put his hands in his head, and fought back the urge to let tears spill forth. His mind was beginning to clear, the exhaustion finally catching up with him. His eyes slowly dimmed, his vision becoming more and more blurry.

Shepard tried to stay awake, but to no avail. Several minutes later, Shepard was fast asleep, slouched over in his chair, his hands holding his head up.

Inside the medbay, Chakwas was working diligently on Tali. First, she would counteract the internal bleeding, and then address the concussion. Then came the hard part; Mending her broken bones. She would have to remove Tali's suit in order to plant the cybernetic implants to realign her bones and bond them together for most. Chakwas gave out a tired sigh, and jumped back into her work.

Shepard woke up with a start, suddenly wide awake. He took in his surroundings before relaxing, remembering he was on the _Normandy._ He checked his omni-tool, and saw it was 0400, about 8 hours since they walked back aboard the _Normandy._ He shook his head, and glanced at the medbay door, still locked.

Shepard sighed dejectedly, and rubbed his hands against his face. He heard a click, and his hands paused. He slowly removed them and turned to face the medbay door. A slight hiss was heard, and the door opened, revealing an exhausted Chakwas. He immediately sat up and approached her as she stepped out and the medbay door closed behind her.

"Dr. Chakwas! How is she? Is she going to be okay?"

Dr. Chakwas give him a tired smile, and nodded.

"Yes, Commander, I do believe she will be just fine."

A massive sigh of relief escaped his lips, and all of his worries and concerns dissipated. He began to question her about what she did.

"How did you go about saving her?"

"It wasn't easy, Shepard. I had to address her concussion, make sure she didn't suffer any brain damage. Then I had to address her internal bleeding, and broken bones, and I had to remove her suit."

Shepard stiffened, and he narrowed his eyes, about to protest violently at her removing her suit. Chakwas raised a hand before he could say anything, and spoke quickly.

"I had a decontamination cycle sterilize her bed, and get rid of any foreign bacteria, and I also cleansed myself. I'm not saying she won't get sick, she will most likely have an allergic reaction, but she won't die to exposure, Shepard. I put her suit back on after I finished the surgical implants."

Shepard relaxed, and nodded, satisfied she had taken the necessary precautions. His next question was spoken quietly.

"Can I see her?"

Chakwas hesitated, her face indecisive. Eventually she nodded, but grabbed Shepard's arm before he could enter.

"Shepard, you should know, I put her under anesthetics long enough until the cybernetic implants can fully repair the damage in her body, which should take at least 9 hours. But she won't wake until then."

Shepard was shaking his head already.

"It doesn't matter. I should be there when she wakes up."

Chakwas raised an eyebrow, and folded her arms.

"And what about your duty as CO?"

Shepard waved a hand dismissively.

"Already taken care of, Doctor. Now please, let me see her."

Chakwas and Shepard locked eyes, and Chakwas saw the undercurrent of emotions he had for Tali. She nodded, and released her grip on him, letting him enter. She made her way to the mess hall, and collapsed in a chair. Soon, she fell asleep due to exhaustion.

* * *

Shepard entered the medbay apprehensively; unsure about what he was doing. Did he really want to see Tali like this? To see her still on a medbay bed? He shook off the thoughts, frustrated at the thoughts that he was having. _She will make it, Chakwas said so, so why am I thinking like she's already gone?_

He saw her still form lying on the third bed from the door, and slowly made his way over. He grabbed a chair and propped it up next to the bed, taking a seat next to Tali. Her visor was still devoid of those wonderful luminous eyes. Her body was unnaturally still, but he could see her chest rising and falling slightly, and it raised his spirits, seeing her steady breathing.

He lifted a hand and placed it in Tali's, intertwining his fingers with hers. He began to run his thumb across the back of her hand, ever so lightly. He sat there in silence, feeling the cold material of her suit. Half an hour passed before he let go of her hand, and pulled his chair back slightly. He crossed his arms across his chest, and watched as Tali's chest rose and fell, waiting patiently for her to wake.

As the minutes ran by, Shepard's eyes began drooping again, despite the fact he had already slept. He fought off the urge several times, but eventually, he succumbed, and let himself fall under the spell of sleep.

* * *

_Tali was dreaming. She was on the Normandy, but it was different. Everything was tinged with white light, all the walls and terminals, everything was tinged with that white light. She was in the cockpit, and she peered around the pilot's chair, and gasped out loud. Joker was sitting there, or his body was. His face wasn't there, replaced by a blank slate of white. _

_Tali jerked back from the chair, but the Joker apparition didn't seem to notice. Tali turned to leave the cockpit, feeling a strong sense of surrealism. She walked down the hallway into the CIC, where it was the same in the cockpit. Everyone wore their uniforms, but their faces were obscured by blank slates of white. _

_As she walked past everyone, no one turned to acknowledge her presence, and she glanced down at herself, wondering if she too were a dreamlike apparition. She brought her three-fingered hand into view, and gasped out loud again, staring intensely at her hand. _

_It was ungloved. She saw her skin for the first time in a long period. It was a light hue of purple, and her hand split into three, two fingers and a thumb. She turned her hand this way and that, amazed at the fact she could see her hand. She had nails just like humans, and they were cleanly cut and trimmed, not having the same growth capabilities as humans. _

_She glanced down to the rest of her body, and her jaw dropped in amazement as she realized she wasn't in her suit at all. She was wearing nothing. She was completely naked. She immediately began to feel self-conscious, her cheeks flushing a deep violet. That feeling slowly faded away, and she gazed over her body in wonder, having not seen it in quite a long time._

_She stopped gazing about her own self, and began walking down the stairs towards the mess hall, her self-consciousness all but gone. Everyone still paid her no attention, and she walked past the elevator into the mess hall. She saw the Dr. Chakwas sitting down in a chair, her head tilted forward, sleeping. _

_Tali lifted her head, and saw the blank slate that covered her face. She slowly guided the head back down to its original position, and wondered why she was out here. Her eyes opened wide as the memory began flooding back to her. The krogan battlemaster smashing into her, throwing her into the wall, as she faded into the blackness. _

_Her eyes were still wide, as the possibility that she was dead struck her. But something was off. If she was dead, why was she here? She glanced over at the medbay door, something pulling her to it. She walked over, her feet lightly patting against the floor. The door slid open, and she saw herself on the table._

_Tears in her eyes, she paced over and looked down upon herself. She was in her suit, her chest raising and falling ever so slightly, and Tali knew she was alive. But what was the purpose of this dream-like event? A sound was heard behind her, and she saw a shape curled up in a chair, fitfully asleep. _

_His face was obscured, buried in his shoulder, and she only saw the short black hair. The man seemed familiar. He was well-built, and he wore his armor still. She knelt down to see the man's face, knowing that it would probably be obscured like everyone else. _

_A soft gasp escaped her lips as she stared into Aaron Shepard's face. And she could see it, every detail. She saw the tear stains on his face, poorly hidden, and the concern etched in his face. His eyes were shut tight, and he muttered in coherently, shifting his body in the chair._

_Tali knelt back up, a soft smile reaching her lips. He's waiting for me to wake up. Her eyes gazed upon Aaron lovingly, as he tossed and turned in the chair once more. Her thoughts flew back to the Mako, where Shepard had said they needed to have a talk. She stroked her hand against his face, and he stopped turning. _

_He body relaxed visibly, and his incoherent mumbling subsided. He relaxed in his chair and Tali left and grabbed another chair. She placed it next to Aaron's and sat down next to him, snuggling right up to his body, placing her arms around his body, her fingers several inches apart from each other. His armor prevented her from completely holding him, but it didn't matter. _

_She placed her head against his chest, and guided Shepard's arm around her shoulders. His arm rested upon her shoulders, and his head leaned down to settle above hers. His breathing was even and deep, quite contrary to his constant muttering and fitful rest earlier. Tali sighed contently, and closed her eyes._

* * *

Tali was slowly waking. Her eyes were fluttering open, and she saw several bright lights above her. She groaned, and began to sit up, before a massive pain wracked her body, and she gritted her teeth, laying back down at the pain. Her breathing became labored, and tears began to form inside her helmet. She lay there for several minutes before the pain subsided. She stared up into the ceiling, the dream penetrating her mind.

She tilted her head to her right, and saw a shape seated in a chair, peacefully sleeping. She was utterly baffled at the dream now. _Was that really happening? No it couldn't have been. It was just a dream._ She kept her eyes on body slumbering in the chair, knowing full well it was Aaron. She was still in a lot of pain. Her head was throbbing loudly, her entire body ached, and she couldn't even sit up without massive pain wracking her body. Her left arm was numb, but luckily, her right arm seemed fine. She began moving it, twisting and turning it this way and that, glad that it seemed relatively uninjured.

Her gaze returned to Aaron, and she called out his name.

"Aaron."

Her voice was soft and hoarse, and was little more than a whisper. But it was enough. She saw his eyes pop open, wide awake in a split second, alert and ready for combat. He quickly unsheathed his knife, prepared for battle. His eyes drifted down to Tali's body, and her visor.

Something was different. Her visor wasn't the same as he last saw it. It took a while for his brain to figure it out. His eyes popped open, his posture broken, and let the knife fall out of his grasp, clattering with the floor. He stood there shocked, unable to move.

"Tali?"

His voice was concerned and held an undercurrent of shock.

Tali nodded her head slightly, making sure not to move her body too much. Aaron gazed at her intently, and grabbed the chair, pulling it closely to her bed, and sitting down. He was much closer now, and she could see the fear in his eyes being replaced by relief.

"The krogan… he…"

His voice choked up, and he stopped speaking. Tali moved her right hand, placing it upon his left cheek. Aaron reached up and loosely grabbed her wrist. Tali felt warm chills rack her body, and it hurt, but she didn't care.

"its fine, Aaron. I'm fine."

Aaron nodded dully, and a hoarse chuckle escaped his lips.

"I killed him, y'know. After you… hit the wall, I was furious. I sent Garrus and Dr. T'soni out, and I battled him by myself. "Shepard knelt down and picked up the knife he had dropped, displaying it to Tali." I thrust this knife into his eye, piercing his brain. His body began to asphyxiate, and he pleaded with me to give him a warrior's death, not die like this."

Shepard paused as he thought about the krogan's plea, and Tali saw the rage in his eyes, and began to stroke her thumb against his cheek.

"Go on. Tell me how he died."

"Heh. I didn't give him the honor. I let him suffocate. I carried you out of that cave, mere seconds before it completely collapsed. I brought you here, and Dr. Chakwas began to mend you wounds."

He brought his omni-tool to life, and checked the time.

"I brought you here at 2000 yesterday. Chakwas had worked on you until 0400 today. You're actually supposed to be asleep until 1300. It's 0900 right now."

Shepard stared into her eyes, and saw how much he cared for her. Shepard spoke again, his voice quiet.

"I thought I had lost you. I thought I would never look you in the eyes again."

Tali giggled softly, and groaned at the pain it caused her. Shepard began to stand up, speaking apologetically. Her hand broke contact with his face, and she let her hand fall slowly back down.

"Oh shit, sorry Tali, I shouldn't be sitting here chatting. Let me go get Chakwas."

"Aaron, wait."

Shepard paused, and turned back around to face her.

"Yes, Tali?"

She nodded her head to the chair he had left, and Shepard shook his head, already speaking.

"I can't Tali, I need to-"

"Aaron, please. I want to talk with you."

He hesitated, unsure of what to do. He saw Tali silently pleading with him with her eyes, and he sighed, walking back to his seat.

"Ok, Tali. But after this, I'm getting Chakwas."

He sat back down, and she brought her hand to his face again, And Shepard leaned his head into her hand, never breaking eye contact with Tali. They locked eyes for the next few minutes, neither speaking, only staring deeply into each other's eyes.

"How long?"

Tali's question was vague, but Aaron knew what she meant.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up since I brought you in."

Tali shook her head fractionally.

"So who's running the ship then?"

"Kaidan. I had to be here when you woke up."

Tali nodded slightly.

"Aaron, how bad was I?"

She saw the pained look in his eyes, but she needed to know how bad it was.

"Broken ribs and left arm, you have some fractured leg bones, and you had internal bleeding. You also had a concussion from hitting the wall."

Shepard spoke with guilt heavy in his voice.

"Don't blame yourself for this, Aaron. None of us expected it."

"I know, but still. Seeing you hurt like this…"

Shepard's voice trailed off. A single tear streamed down his face, and Tali brought her hand over and wiped it off. Tali stared into his hazel eyes, and spoke softly.

"Aaron, I think it's time we had that talk you said we would have."

Shepard chuckled shakily.

"No, we can save that for later, once your better."

Shepard glanced down for a second, before returning back to Tali. Tali sighed, and patted his cheek.

"Fine, but as soon as I'm out of this bed..."

"Agreed. I'm going to go get Chakwas so she can checkup on you. Then, once she says your 100%, we can have that talk."

Shepard smiled at her, and Tali sighed moodily.

"Fine. I hate being confined to a bed, doing nothing."

Shepard brought a hand to up to where Tali's hand was, and he planted a kiss on her palm.

"Don't we all; I'll be back."

He stood up to leave, pushing the chair back against second bed from the door. He strolled out of the medbay, and Tali's eyes followed him out. She turned her head back to the ceiling, and sighed peacefully, Now that she knew clearly where Aaron and she stood. She felt truly happy for the first time since she left the fleet. Every other time, she had been grateful, content, but only now did she feel truly happy.

* * *

**A/N**

**Yay more fluff in this chapter. I was listening to some sappy songs while writing this, so yeah I was sort of influenced by them to write some fluff.**

**Review pls.**

**Keelah Se'lai.**


	16. Chapter 15: Making Amends

**A/N**

**Next Chapta.**

**Happy Easter, and Keelah Se'lai**

* * *

_Chapter 15: Making Amends_

Shepard let the medbay door close behind him. He took a deep breath, and released it, a broad smile breaching his features. He checked around the mess hall, and noticed it was all but empty save for one zone. Shepard's smile faded as he thought about how he had treated the crew harshly and unjustly.

"Kaidan."

Kaidan, who was currently working on the unfixable terminal, up righted his body, stiffening out until he was a statue frozen in a salute.

"Commander."

Shepard glanced awkwardly around, and waved a hand about.

"At ease, Staff Lieutenant."

Kaidan dropped his hand from his salute, and brought both hands behind his back. A few seconds of tense silence passed between them, before Kaidan spoke.

"I relayed your orders back to Joker. He said we should be at the Citadel in the next hour, sir."

Shepard had a pained look in his eyes.

"Kaidan, please. Stop being so… stiff. I know I reacted harshly to the crew. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

Shepard made eye contact as he spoke, and he never broke his gaze. Kaidan relaxed, letting out a sigh.

"No, don't be sorry. I know what she means to you, more than most."

Shepard nodded mutely.

"Still, I lashed out, especially to Garrus. I plan to make my rounds with the crew and apologize."

Kaidan sat down tiredly in one of the chairs by the terminal.

"Shepard, look. I understand why you reacted so, but the crew doesn't. Ashley and Garrus were hurt at how you turned them away, and you haven't even welcomed Liara yet. The fact that you're going to make amends with them just proves that you have the qualities of a great leader, one willing to admit his mistakes."

Kaidan shook his head, attempting to end the discussion.

"Look, you don't need to apologize to me, I understand. You should go speak with the rest though. We can talk after."

Shepard nodded slowly.

"Alright Kaidan, I get it. And thanks for understanding."

Kaidan smiled at his Commander.

"Anytime, Shepard."

Shepard turned to leave, inwardly nervous about what he was supposed to do. As he thought about how to go about this, a thought strayed into his mind. _Dr. Chakwas needs to tend to Tali, remember?_ Shepard turned back to Kaidan, the question already out in the open.

"Kaidan, can you tell me where I can find Dr. Chakwas?"

Kaidan frowned thoughtfully.

"When she came out after the… operation, she fell asleep on the mess hall table. She woke up a few hours ago, and went down to the cargo bay, probably to tend the wounded."

Shepard nodded briefly to him, and turned to the cargo bay elevator.

"Thanks, Kaidan."

Kaidan grunted back, returning his attention back to the terminal. He sighed, and leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. _I'm about to space this damn thing._

* * *

Shepard stepped into the elevator, and hit the button. As the elevator slowly sank down, Shepard couldn't stop a pit of anxiety from forming in his gut. It was threatening to overwhelm him when the elevator door finally opened.

He took in the people in the room, and saw everything was fairly normal. Ashley was at her table, Garrus was at his Mako, and Wrex by his favorite stack of crates. However, there were some new figures over by Garrus, and Shepard recognized them, striding over.

Dr. Chakwas and Liara were chatting incessantly, and Garrus offered the occasional remark. Garrus was underneath the Mako, and Dr. Chakwas sat on some crates with Liara opposite of her. All three of them stopped working and talking as they heard him approach.

They stared at him silently, and Liara was gazing about nervously. Garrus was sliding out from underneath the Mako, his face neutral. Shepard cleared his throat, and spoke first to Dr. Chakwas.

"Dr. Chakwas. Erm… Tali woke up, so I thought maybe I should find you…"

Shepard was slightly nervous speaking in front of Liara and Garrus about Tali, as he didn't want to give them any ideas. Dr. Chakwas nodded as he finished.

"Thank you, Commander; I'll go attend to her immediately."

Dr. Chakwas stood up from her seat, and turned around to face Liara.

"Remember, that room is yours, so feel free to use it when you see fit."

Liara smiled weakly at Chakwas, also nervous with the situation.

"Ah, thank you, Dr. Chakwas. I appreciate it."

Dr. Chakwas smiled briefly at her, and then turned to leave the cargo bay, walking briskly towards the elevator. Shepard turned to watch her go, and returned to his attention to Garrus and Liara.

"So, Dr. T'soni, Dr. Chakwas assigned you a room?"

Shepard's voice was tense and nervous. Liara replied quickly, not mincing words.

"Yes, she gave it to me for all uses."

"Good, good. Doctor, I would like to apologize to you about how I acted earlier. I acted irrationally and I did not formally welcome you, or give you a proper place to rest."

She nodded her head slightly, and replied.

"It is ok, Commander, you had a wounded crew member, I understand."

Shepard shook his head softly.

"Still, I should always pay attention to my crew, and I'm sorry I neglected you yesterday."

Shepard paused briefly, and glanced towards Garrus, who was staring off to his left, his face still completely neutral. Liara saw the gaze, and knew what he wanted.

"Commander, pardon me, but I will leave for my cabin now, so you may talk privately with Officer Garrus Vakarian."

Garrus finally spoke. He turned his gaze towards Liara, a pleasant look in his eyes.

"Please, just Garrus."

Garrus turned back to stare away, and his face was blank again. Liara nodded briefly, and walked past Shepard, heading towards the elevator. As she entered, she saw the Commander gazing at her from afar, and hit the button, her cheeks beginning to flush. As the doors closed, she let out a huge sigh, and her thoughts began to wander lustfully.

As the doors closed, Shepard turned back towards Garrus, who was stone-faced. Shepard sighed, and walked over to one of the crates the two doctors had occupied. He sat down; shoulders slumped, and began his apology.

"Garrus… about yesterday… I'm sorry. I treated you harshly, when all you wanted was to speak."

Garrus shook his head. His face was broken out of its stony expression, replaced with a look of accusation.

"You didn't lash out as harshly to the others compared to me. Why?"

Shepard stared mutely at the floor, Garrus's eyes burning into the crown of his head. When Shepard returned his gaze up, he locked eyes with Garrus, and he saw tears welled up in his Shepard's eyes.

"Garrus… All my life… I had people close to me. Family and friends mostly. I lost my father and my sister to a batarian raid on Mindoir. My mother had just left two days before, and survived. I lost friends and family that day. I promised myself to never get attached to someone again. But I failed. I made another friend, Corporal Thomas Toombs. My best friend, right up until Akuze. He died there. The only people close to me right now are my own mother, and Captain Anderson. Everyone else died, Garrus."

A single tear broke free from its restraints, and raced down his face. Garrus stared at Shepard, unable to look away. He was shocked to hear how Shepard's life had played out up to this point.

"When Tali was… hit… You saw how I reacted. I was furious. I murdered that krogan in hand to hand combat. I blatantly ignored you and everyone else. Because I thought that if I there was any way I could save her, I would do it. She was the only person I told about Mindoir, my home, and the first person since I joined the Navy that knows my first name."

Garrus eyes flashed with curiosity at the fact that the thought never occurred to him that Shepard wasn't his first name. Shepard chuckled quietly.

"It's Aaron. You're the second person that knows that name now, besides family. But I don't want you to call me Aaron in public. Only in private, like now. My name is… something I reserve for people I trust wholly."

Garrus nodded silently, honored that Shepard considered him to be wholly trustworthy. Aaron sniffed quietly, and brushed his tears away.

"I consider you to be my best friend, Garrus. And I can't lose you. Not like I lost the others before."

Garrus was still. He was surprised the Comm- Aaron, considered him his best friend, and he considered Aaron to be his. But he didn't say anything about Tali.

"And what about Tali?"

Garrus spoke softly, so that people couldn't overhear him.

"She's… Ah screw it. I love her."

Garrus's mouth opened in surprise, and he smacked his forehead with a claw, pacing around.

"Oh my Spirits, I should have known! I knew there was something more between you two!"

Shepard laughed, and motioned for him to quiet down.

"Okay, easy there, Garrus don't go spreading the news. She and I are planning to talk things out, But honestly, I don't think it could work, Garrus."

Garrus paused in place, confusion written all over his face.

"What? Why not?"

"She has her Pilgrimage, I have my duty as a Spectre. She's going to return to the Fleet eventually, and then I will never see her again."

Shepard's voice was sad and dejected, and Garrus shook his head vehemently.

"No, what's that human saying, Bull feces?"

Shepard gave him a weird look, and burst out laughing. He subsided after a few seconds, tears of laughter at the corner of his eyes.

"It's bullshit, Garrus."

Garrus rolled his eyes.

"Right, right, well that's bullshit, Shepard. If you love her, then go for it. Might as well enjoy it now, right?"

Shepard wasn't convinced, but he didn't want a pep talk either.

"Fine, I guess you're right."

Garrus strode over to his friend, and placed a claw on his shoulder, leaning down to meet him eye to eye.

"Look Shepard, I understand now. You lost a lot of friends and family, I get it. I accept your apology, but you should speak with Ashley, I think she was more hurt than I. It doesn't help she likes you too."

Shepard gave him a curious look, and Garrus stepped back, removing his talon from Shepard's shoulder.

"Spirits, you don't know? Shepard, Ashley wants you, badly. I can see it in her posture, and the way she pays attention to you, hangs on every word. I can see Liara is having thoughts about you too."

"Greeat… So once I tell them I don't reciprocate their feelings, I'm going to die, right?"

Garrus shrugged, and said in a serious voice.

"Probably."

Shepard gave him a stricken glance, and Garrus chuckled at the sight.

"Garrus, please, let's not joke about that. My life is in more danger then than when I'm fighting geth."

Shepard glanced over at Ashley, working studiously on her guns. He stood up with a groan, his body still sore from sleeping in a chair. He walked over to Garrus, and offered a hand out. Garrus went to shake, but Shepard pulled him in a for a man hug. He patted his back a few times, and broke apart.

Garrus gave him an apprehensive look, and Shepard shrugged.

"It's a man hug, not a lover's hug."

Garrus still gave him that look.

"Whatever you say, Shepard."

"You know you don't have to call me that when we're alone, right?"

Garrus shrugged indifferently.

"Your name is a bit hard to pronounce for me. Besides, I like Shepard. And I am honored you shared it with me."

Shepard gave him a smile, and began walking over to Ashley.

"You deserve it. I trust you completely."

Garrus turned back to the Mako, his mood brighter than before. Now that he had reasoning behind his irrationality, how could Garrus blame him? Losing friends and family twice over, it takes its toll on people. He stooped back down underneath the Mako. _Back to work._

* * *

Ashley was frustrated, hurt, angry, resentful, jealous, etc. She was angry at Shepard, jealous at Tali, resentful towards Tali, hurt towards Shepard, etc. Her feelings were all over the place, and she didn't notice Shepard walk up behind her.

"Ashley."

She stopped toying with her rifle, and dropped it, a little more forceful than intended. She turned angrily towards Shepard, a scowl on her face.

"Commander."

Shepard was stunned at her bitter tone, and her angry attitude towards him. He began trying to placate her, softly speaking.

"Ashley, look. I'm sorry for how I treated you yesterday. I was harsh to everyone, including you."

Ashley features softened slightly at his apology, but she still scowled deeply.

"And how's your _friend?_" She spat out the word like venom. If she was under control, she would have immediately regretted her words, and began apologizing, but she was conflicted.

Shepard stared at her hard, not liking her attitude at all.

"Gunnery Chief Williams, I suggest you fix your tone."

Ashley's militaristic instinct kicked in. She immediately dispelled all of her feelings, and breathed deeply, calming herself down. She opened her eyes, having closed them during her instinctual kick start, and was met by a hard gaze.

She quailed under the intense stare, and began apologizing.

"Commander, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, I don't know why I did-"

"I do." His voice was steely. "You're jealous of her and angry with me."

Shepard shook his head exasperatedly.

"Look, Ashley, yes I do care for her. I care for her as much as I care for you, but more."

Ashley began to scowl again, but Shepard's gaze stopped her.

"She helped me at my lowest points; she was there to give me strength. Plus, I admire her resourcefulness and intelligence. I'm not saying that I don't think you are any less useful than her. You are an excellent marksman, plus you have the attitude that gets things done and keeps you alive. You don't call it quits, and that's what makes you valuable."

Shepard placed a hand upon her shoulder, and gave her a warm smile. She cast her gaze downward, unable to look him in the eye. He lifted up head by the chin, until they made eye contact.

"Maybe in another time, in another place; But not now, not here. I'm sorry, Ashley."

A tear sprang to her eye, and she spoke softly.

"You love her, don't you?"

Shepard gave her a cheeky grin.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out. Yes I care for her, but in what way I don't yet know."

Shepard lied, thinking tactfully. If he told her, she would be devastated. Better to play it safe. Ashley sighed deeply, and wiped her tear away.

"Alright Skipper. I get it. I'll be fine."

"Well I doubt that, Ashley. I'll come by later, and we can talk some more, okay?"

Ashley nodded her head fractionally, and Shepard gave her shoulder a light squeeze. He turned to go, making his way over to Wrex. Ashley watched him greet Wrex, and turned back to her worktable. _He's right. Emotions are holding me back. I can't let them be a crutch._ She put a determined look on, eager to be on the next battlefield.

* * *

"Shepard."

Shepard stopped in front of Wrex, and folded his arms, nodding back to Wrex as he responded.

"Wrex."

It looked like Wrex grinned, but it was hard to tell.

"No need to get all sappy with me, Shepard, I already know about you and the quarian."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow.

"Her name is Tali, y'know."

Wrex shrugged indifferently.

"What does it matter to me? As long as you don't grow complacent now, it doesn't affect me."

Shepard shook his head slightly, bewildered at the krogan lust for battle.

"So, why did you become a mercenary?"

Wrex narrowed his eyes.

"Because I wanted to."

Shepard shook his head.

"Come on, Wrex, humor me with your epic tale of how you became a merc."

Wrex grimaced, a fearsome sight to most men. But not to Shepard.

"Because I gave up on my people."

Shepard unfolded his arms, truly curious now.

"Why?"

Wrex snorted angrily, and cross his arms in front of him, one foot over the other.

"Because all we do is fight, bicker, slaughter each other. We're killing ourselves, Shepard."

Shepard shrugged.

"So? Humanity has fought amongst themselves several times. We recovered each time, and got stronger."

Wrex grunted angrily.

"You don't get it. We're a dying breed because of the genophage, Shepard."

"Right, some type of bioweapon that affects krogan fertility rates, deployed by turians."

"And created by salarians. Our people were used as tools, and cast aside, left to fight amongst ourselves and slowly die off."

Wrex's voice was bitter and resentful.

"You shouldn't give up on your species, Wrex. You should return there, unite the krogan clans, and get them focused on breeding."

Wrex's voice was quieter next he spoke.

"Already tried that. Almost worked, but I had my clan supporters ambushed by my father, a revenge driven fool. I killed him, and barely escaped, but my entire group of followers died."

A few seconds passed, before Shepard spoke again.

"And you gave up?"

Wrex snarled angrily at Shepard, and took a pace towards him, fists curled up. Shepard stood his ground, not cowing in fear of this krogan.

"Watch yourself, Shepard."

"Wrex, your race is dying. You tried to unite them before, and it almost worked. The only problem was your father. But he's dead now. How strong is clan Urdnot?"

Wrex stared hard at Shepard.

"Strongest on Tuchanka, our homeworld."

Shepard spread his hands at the example laid before him.

"Wrex, you're a hell of a warrior, but you have the temperance most krogan lack. You and you alone can unite them. Call them together; show them that revenge isn't the way. Your father isn't around this time, so you have no real enemies. So what's holding you back from making the krogan the proud warrior race they are meant to be?"

Wrex was still pissed off with Shepard, but his words pierced the veil of anger over him. The words made sense to Wrex, and he realized just how much he respected Shepard.

"You're right, Shepard. Most krogan are hell-bent on revenge. Maybe I can bring them to heel, and get them focused on the continued survival of our race."

Wrex looked thoughtfully at Shepard, before speaking again.

"You're a strange one, Shepard. You make a mighty warrior, and yet you speak wisdom like you were born to. Let me brood about this, Shepard."

Shepard nodded at Wrex, and turned to go. Wrex looked at the human walking away, and shook his head. _This human, Commander Shepard. He would make an excellent krogan. I'm… honored to have met him. He's given me hope for my people again._ Wrex thought about his plan when he returned to Tuchanka. He would have his work cut out for him, but he would never forget the man who brought him back in the first place.

* * *

Shepard entered the elevator, and hit the button, the elevator rising painfully slow. After an agonizing pause, he exited and turned left, heading for the medbay. He was about to enter, when Dr. Chakwas strode out of the doorway. She stopped as she saw Shepard, and let the door close behind her.

"Ms. Zorah is under anesthetics until 1300, Commander. You can speak with her then."

Shepard was dejected at this news, but he carried on without showing.

"Alright, Doctor. Guess I'll go hang out with Joker, then."

Chakwas gave him a mirthful giggle, a bright shine in her eyes.

"Really, Shepard, of all people, Joker?"

Shepard muttered back in dark humor.

"I know right? It's come to having to spend time with Joker."

Dr. Chakwas smiled, and patted Shepard on the arm.

"When you're up there, do remind him to take his medication."

Shepard smiled back at her, and nodded.

Dr. Chakwas walked over to the kitchen area, and began rummaging through the fridge. Shepard turned around to head up the stairs and into the cockpit. He was in a much better mood now, having made amends with the crew and giving Wrex some incentive to continue helping his people. He was beginning to bond deeply with everyone, even Wrex.

Shepard smiled at the thought of Wrex. _He would be like the head-butting uncle I never had. _As he thought of family, his smile faded, and his thoughts dark. Shepard shook his head severely though, stemming the flow of thoughts. _No, not this time. I have a new family, one I can trust to watch my back in battle, one I can trust with sensitive information, one I trust wholly. And I won't lose them this time._

* * *

**A/N**

**This was another character building chapter, but don't worry, the trip to the Citadel won't be a complete bore. Complications may arise, for what happens on the Citadel, stays on the Citadel…**

**Review, and Keelah Se'lai.**


	17. Chapter 16: RestockingShore Leave pt 1

**A/N**

**Back at the Citadel, eh? This should be fun.**

* * *

_Chapter 16: Restocking/Shore Leave_

Shepard stepped out of the elevator and took off up the stairs leading to the CIC and cockpit. Alliance crew members were working hard, but those not sitting down took the time to turn and salute to him. He acknowledged each person, either with a simple nod or a small smile. As he entered the neck of the _Normandy_ that lead into the cockpit, he opened up his omni-tool to check the time. _0945. According to Kaidan, we should be there in 15._ He disengaged his omni-tool, and strode up to Joker, his fingers nothing but a blur against the pilot's interface.

Shepard had inherited an extremely light step, a habit grown out of his Infiltrator training. He silently snuck up on Joker, and saw his attention completely focused on a screen directly in front of him. While every other screen around him displayed statistics or readings, this screen displayed a high scores chart.

"Hey Joker. Whatcha playing?"

Joker would have jumped to his feet if he didn't have Vrolik's Syndrome. As it happens, all he did was jump in his seat. He turned around and let out a big breath.

"Commander. Please. Stop. Doing. That."

Shepard chuckled and put a hand lightly on Joker.

"You didn't answer me. What are you playing?"

Joker shrugged indifferently.

"Ah, it's nothing. Just this old Earth game called 'Galaga'. It was popular around the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. But it's popular again, cause y'know. Aliens, spaceships, stuff like that."

Shepard nodded sagely.

"Yeah I know it. Haven't played it myself though. How much longer until we're at the Citadel?"

"About 15 minutes, Shepard."

Shepard nodded again, and folded his arms, watching the other monitors with mild interest. Joker cleared his throat, and began speaking, somewhat nervously.

"So… I heard about Tali. She got hit hard. But she's all good now, right? I was starting to warm up to her, with how much she's improving my baby._"_

"Yeah, she's fine now. She should be 100% by 1300."

Joker let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that's good news. So, how are you faring? Heard you took her injuries pretty badly."

Shepard shook his head, his voice edged with a hard tone.

"I'd rather not, Joker."

Joker nodded.

"Yeah, sure. So, why are we stopping at the Citadel?"

Shepard shrugged.

"I need to speak with an Admiral, tell him about what happened to one of his squads. Plus, I think it's time to reward my ground team with some new gear. Also, speak with Pressly, see if we are running low of anything, and get them. We might not come back for some time. And lastly, 24 shore leave for everyone."

Joker nodded.

"Sounds good Commander. Want me to announce it?"

"Yeah, I'm heading down to the comm room. I should probably contact the Council."

Joker replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, that'll be fun."

Shepard turned to leave, letting Joker open up a comm link with Pressly, listing off any provisions they needed. He walked past the galaxy map interface, and down into the comm room, occupied by 8 chairs. Three terminals were set up in front of him, a direct quantum entanglement communicator (QEC) with the Council members.

He palmed the button that let the Council know he was trying to contact them, and had to wait about 30 seconds for them to finally answer. Their holographic projections showed up from each terminal, in the same Council formation of Sparatus, Tevos, and Valern from left to right.

Shepard placed his hands behind his back, and greeted them.

"Councilors."

Tevos responded first, nodding to Shepard.

"Ah, Commander Shepard. Your second in command, Staff Lieutenant Alenko, filled us in. I do hope your crew member is well?"

Shepard nodded.

"Yes Councilor, crew member Tali'Zorah will make a full recovery soon."

Tevos nodded, a small smile on her face.

"I'm glad to hear that, Commander. Now, about your mission."

Sparatus interjects at this point, anger on his face and in his voice.

"Yes your mission. You destroyed a precious prothean ruin, Shepard! Was there no way to retrieve Dr. T'soni without causing a massive cave-in?"

Shepard was starting to hate Sparatus. And he rarely hated people. His voice was terse as he responded.

"No, Councilor. I had to use a thermal laser drill to create an alternate route to the Doctor. It triggered a seismic event, and my team barely made it out."

Sparatus gave an exasperated sigh.

"Humans and their affinity for destruction…"

Shepard narrowed his eyes angrily, his mouth open to retort, when he spotted Tevos glaring at him. She shook her head slightly, and Shepard nodded fractionally, returning to his neutral demeanor.

"It is unfortunate that the ruins collapsed, Commander, but _we_," Tevos glared pointedly at Sparatus,"are glad your team made it out."

"Thank you, Councilor."

Tevos nodded, and Valern spoke up.

"Please, contact us after your next mission so we may debrief you on the situation."

Shepard nodded, and the Council collectively disconnected, each projection disappearing within a second of each other. Shepard let out a breath, and shook his head. _What does Sparatus have against humanity? What has humanity done to the turians?_ He walked out of the comm room, and rounded the corner, walking down the stairs to his cabin.

He hit the panel to open it, and walked in, collapsing at his desk. A stack of blank datapads lay on the desk, and Shepard picked one up, putting the mission details of Edolus on the OSD.

He remembered he forgot something, and opened up his omni-tool, contacting Alliance Command.

"Commander Shepard. How can I help you?"

The receiver was a female, and her voice sounded young, and pleasant.

"Hello, I need to get into contact with Admiral Kahoku. I heard he was on the Citadel."

"Yes he is, he is currently attempting to get a meeting with the Council about one of his missing squads."

"Please let him know I will meet him there. I know what happened to them."

"Of course Commander. Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Have a good day."

The woman ended the call, and Shepard closed his omni-tool. He sighed, and picked up the datapad, not looking forward to telling the Admiral the bad news.

* * *

Once he finished the mission reports, he stood up and walked out of his cabin. He walked over to his locker, and put on his shield emitter, plus his sidearm. As he went to close the locker door, he hesitated as he saw his blade. After a few moments of indecisiveness, he picked it up and strapped it to his thigh. He glanced down at it, making sure it was secure. A thought occurred to him, and he unknowingly spoke out loud.

"Y'know, I haven't named you yet."

He patted the blades sheath, and began thinking for names suitable. The blade was excellent at cutting, and it split flesh like a knife through butter. It was curved and jagged on one side, and he tried to think of any mythical blades from books or legends.

He thought about using a name from a legendary man named King Arthur, but he used all swords, not daggers.

"How about… damnit, I can't think of anything. Whatever, I'll find a suitable name later."

He turned right to leave for the airlock, when Joker's voice rang out.

"Attention crew of the _Normandy,_ We are now docked at the Citadel. Commander Shepard has given each crew member a 24 hour leave, including his ground team. And try not to make too much trouble."

The comm crackled as it turned off, and Shepard looked towards the medbay. He walked over to the door, and saw Liara walk out of the room way in the back, and Dr. Chakwas sitting at her usual desk. Shepard and Liara met halfway, and Shepard nodded to her.

Liara smiled back, and quickened her pace as she walked past him. She practically ran out of the medbay, and Shepard was slightly confused at that. But it didn't linger long, as he walked over to the bed where Tali was laying down. He walked to the edge, and looked down upon her, her eyes closed, and her chest rising and falling slowly.

He smiled at her, and brushed a hand against the side of her helmet, before turning back around to leave. As he was walking by Dr. Chakwas at her desk, he spoke casually.

"I'll be back at 1300, Doctor."

He walked out, not noticing that Dr. Chakwas raised an eyebrow at him, the hints of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. As the door closed behind him, she laughed quietly, and shook her head.

Shepard walked up to the CIC, noticing most of the crew had already left the _Normandy _for their shore leave. He strolled through the unusually empty room, and walked into the airlock, where the decontamination cycle ran. As he passed him several times, it finally opened the sealed door, and Shepard stepped out onto the walkway the dock connected to the _Normandy._

He walked down the short tunnel, and was met at the sight of an Admiral. As Shepard saw him, he approached briskly, and saluted stiffly.

"Sir."

The Admiral carried himself with an arrogant flair, and he seemed fairly young, about 50 years old. He had a 5 o'clock shadow present on his face, and his face was snobbish.

"Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, Fifth Fleet. I'm here to do a surprise inspection of the _Alliance _vessel, The _SSV Normandy."_

Shepard didn't like the man's tone, but he knew better than to treat him with disrespect.

"Of course, sir, but why do you need to do a surprise inspection now?"

Mikhailovich sneered, and spoke arrogantly.

"I am a Rear Admiral, Commander." He laid stress on Shepard's title." And I don't need a reason to inspect your ship."

"Actually, sir," Shepard laid stress on replying to the Rear Admiral," I am a Council Spectre. I can flatly refuse to let you see my vessel and crew members."

Mikhailovich was about to burst into anger at Shepard, but a hissing sound was heard, and multiple footsteps were heard. Light chatter was heard among the footsteps, and Shepard's entire ground team, minus Tali, appeared.

As Kaidan and Ashley saw the Admiral, they walked briskly up next to Shepard, and saluted. Mikhailovich didn't even acknowledge them; gaping in fury at the fact he had just seen a turian, asari and krogan walk out of the _Normandy._

The entire group stopped as they saw the Alliance Admiral, and Garrus seemed to straighten up a bit, while Liara glanced around nervously. Wrex just stared at the man, not cowed by the man's ranking.

"Shepard! What is this?!"

His voice was filled with outrage and shock. Shepard narrowed his eyes, and dropped his salute.

"They are my ground team, Rear Admiral."

Mikhailovich was staring at Wrex, but upon hearing Shepard, he turned angrily upon him, and began berating him.

"You let a krogan, turian, and an asari on the Alliance's most advanced vessel?"

Shepard barked curtly at him, expressing his distaste for the Admiral.

"Yes, I did, Admiral. I also have a quarian on board, currently in the medbay. I let them on because I had the authority to do so as a Council Spectre. Now, I suggest you curb your tone."

"What!? You can't speak to me like that, Shepard! I am your superior!"

"Yes, you are, if I was speaking to you as an Alliance Commander. But I'm not. I'm speaking to you as a Council Spectre, and I'm denying you access onto my vessel, on the account that you disrespected my crew members, and me."

Mikhailovich's face was beet red from fury, but he was beaten. He turned angrily, heading back to the elevator, calling out behind him.

"Alliance Command will see my report of this, and you will be charged dearly for how you treated me, Commander!"

Shepard didn't reply, instead smiling at the Admiral, and giving him a wave. As the elevator closed, he turned back around to face his crew, noting that Kaidan and Ashley had shocked expressions.

"Commander, you just insulted an Alliance Rear Admiral!"

"Skipper, are you sure that was wise?"

Shepard smiled at them.

"Of course I just insulted him, and I thought it was pretty wise. He insulted me before you guys came, and insulted you then. So I sent him packing for acting like an asshole."

Kaidan and Ashley both gave him worried looks, but Wrex just laughed heartily.

"I like how you handled that, Shepard. Very diplomatic."

Shepard gave him a grin, and looked at Garrus and Liara. Garrus just shrugged, and Liara looked visibly relieved that the conversation was over.

"Alright, well, now that that's over, you guys go enjoy your 24 shore leave. I'll have something for each of you once you come back. Call it a welcoming gift."

As they began talking excitedly amongst each other, Shepard grabbed Liara by the arm, and stopped her.

"If you had to use a gun, what would it be?"

Liara gave him a surprised look, and thought about it.

"I would guess a pistol, Commander."

Shepard nodded, and gave her a smile.

"Good, and call me Shepard. Everyone calls me by it."

"Of course, Comm-Shepard. You can call me Liara, instead of Dr. T'soni."

She gave him a sweet smile, and he let go of her arm, chuckling. As she ran past him to catch the elevator, he called back to her.

"I'll try to remember that!"

She joined the rest of the group in the elevator, and Shepard watched the door close, and the elevator start to descend. He sighed contently, only to replace it with a scowl.

"Why didn't I just go down with them? Damn Shepard, sometimes, you do some dumb shit…"

Shepard muttered quietly, berating himself, and stood by the shaft, waiting for the elevator to come back up.

* * *

The elevator door opened, and Shepard stepped out into the C-sec Academy. It was bustling with people, and various species wore C-sec outfits and headsets. As he began walking to the taxi pad, he was approached by a dark skinned reporter, frantically calling his name. Shepard sighed inwardly. _Great. The media is here._ He paused, and folded his arms, waiting for her to get to him.

"Commander Shepard! Khalisah Bint Sinan al Jilani, Westerlund News. Can I have a moment of your time for a quick interview?"

Shepard sighed, and shook his head.

"No, I'm busy, now please, excuse me."

He began to push past her, where the taxi pad lay, when the reporter began laying on questions anyways.

"Commander Shepard, many people in humanity are worried that the Council is treating humanity as a "poor relation". Has the _Normandy_ effectively been handed over to the Council?"

Shepard paused in his steps, and turned to face her, his face stony.

"Ms. Al Jilani, the _Normandy _is still an Alliance vessel, and I am merely using it to pursue my duties as a Council Spectre."

She nodded, and asked another question before Shepard could even move to leave.

"Recent reports detail that you recently left the Artemis Tau Cluster. What were you doing there? We're you not assigned to hunt down the traitor Saren Arterius, and search for any clues on Feros or Noveria? Why did you shirk your duty as a Spect-"

Shepard was sick of this bitch and her snide remarks. He curled a fist, and crashed it into her jaw, dislocating it. She stumbled back and fell on her rump, a hand on her jaw, and her face etched with pain. He looked down at her with disgust, and shook his hand, the one that had delivered the hay-maker to her jaw.

"Fucking reporters…"His voice was spoken underneath his breath, so no one heard him.

There was nothing else Shepard hated more than biased media, and she was clearly a reporter for a biased media. He turned to leave, the eyes of many people on him after they had seen him deck the reporter. He got into a taxi cab, and gave the driver, a human, a credit chit.

"Council Tower, now."

The driver nodded and zoomed off, and the new reporter stood up, her jaw still dislocated. She watched the cab ride into the air, and glared at it with hate. She began to walk to the nearest hospital, a floating camera floating behind her. She checked her footage to make sure she got it all, and almost smiled at the replay of Shepard hitting her. She would show this to the people, alright.

* * *

"Admiral Kahoku."

Shepard called out the name to a man dressed in formal Alliance wear, and the man turned around from a terminal he was using. He disconnected the terminal, and beckoned Shepard to him. Shepard walked over and saluted the man. Kahoku waved his hand, and Shepard rested his hand down at his side.

"Yes, how can I help you, Commander Shepard?"

Shepard hesitated briefly, before speaking.

"I have some bad news, Admiral. I know what happened to one of your squads."

Kahoku, who had been using a tired expression, suddenly became extremely alert. His eyes popped open wide, and he stared intensely at Shepard.

"You do? What do you know? What happened to them?"

They… They're dead, Admiral. Every single one was killed by a thresher maw."

Admiral Kahoku closed his eyes, and breathed out a quiet curse. He opened his eyes, and spoke to Shepard.

"Tell me exactly how they ended up in that situation. My squad was smart; they wouldn't get into thresher maw territory on purpose."

"You're right, they didn't drive into its territory; they dropped into it. Someone had placed an Alliance beacon right in the middle of its territory. They dropped in, and were immediately beset upon by the thresher maw."

Admiral shook his head, confusion in his voice.

"Wait, why would there be an Alliance beacon there? And how do you know all this?"

Shepard cleared his throat and spoke again.

"Because I found that same beacon. I dropped on the planet, and drove to it. I recognized the emblems they wore, and we were beset upon by a thresher maw. My crew managed to take care of it, and we deactivated the beacon."

The admiral nodded his head slowly, and spoke softly.

"Well, at least you avenged them. Tell me, what do you know about this beacon?"

Shepard shrugged. He had not paid much attention to it.

"Nothing, Admiral. It didn't look like a standard Alliance beacon. I think it was an emergency beacon, high protocol."

Kahoku put a hand to his chin, and muttered thoughtfully.

"Who would have access to that, and would want to either kill Alliance people or test thresher maws…"

He glanced back up at Shepard, and proffered a hand out.

"Thank you for telling me, Commander, I can rest easy now that I know what happened to them. I'm going to dig into this, and I'll let you know if I find anything."

Shepard nodded, and shook his hand.

"Of course, Admiral, I'll help any way I can."

Shepard turned to leave, as the Admiral began a call through his omni-tool, talking earnestly with the person on the other line. Shepard approached the taxi pad again, and got back into the same cab. He gave the driver another credit chit, and gave him directions.

"C-sec Academy."

* * *

**A/N**

**This is part 1 of this… area I guess. I enjoyed writing the Khalisah Bint Sinan Al-Jilani scene, it was fun.**

**Also, Shepard has a strong distaste for news reporters and biased media. So yeah, if he seemed a little cruel and unlike his normal ways, it's because he really hates reporters and biased media.**

**Review, and Keelah Se'lai.**


	18. Chapter 17: RestockShore Leave pt 2

**A/N**

**Ok, just to make things crystal clear, Shepard is a passionate guy. His feelings are all-in, 100% of the time. So if he seems to be acting out of character, he's not, you just haven't seen him get angry enough.**

* * *

_Chapter 17: Restock/Shore Leave pt 2_

Shepard stepped out of the cab, and thanked the driver for the ride. He surveyed the C-sec Academy as the driver flew away. He saw many people giving him strange looks, and he figured they were the same people who saw him deck that reporter. He took off down a side corridor, a sign above it saying 'C-sec Requisitions'. As he walked down the short steps down into the armory, he saw a turian in C-sec uniform, sitting a desk and typing at a computer quickly.

As Shepard approached, the turian kept his head down at his computer, and spoke.

"Hello, sir how can I help you?"

As the turian finished his sentence, he glanced up. As he saw who his customer was, he dropped his disinterested façade and welcomed him in a more exuberant nature.

"Commander Shepard! I didn't know it was you. How can I help you, Spectre?"

Shepard grinned and offered a hand out for him to shake. The turian stood up and shook his hand energetically and promptly sat back down with his hands intertwined in a businesslike fashion.

"Hi, I would like to requisition some gear for me and my crew mister…"

"Ah, of course. Septyrus Demdros, at your service. But please, call me Tyrus, most species find it easier to pronounce."

Shepard nodded.

"Sure. Can I view your stock?"

"Of course, but you should know that the items are held in a different location, and they may take some time to deliver here."

"Actually, that's good. Can you have them delivered to Dock 422 instead?"

The turian began typing at his console again, speaking while typing.

"Of course, I'll have them deliver it to there. Now, what did you have in mind?"

Shepard opened up his omni-tool, displaying a short list.

"Actually, I have some specific items I want…"

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Spectre."

"Agreed, Tyrus. Until next time, my friend!"

Shepard walked out of the C-sec Requisitions office, his bank account incredibly lightweight now. He had spent a small fortune purchasing each member of his ground squad a new gun, including himself. Shepard checked his omni-tool for the time. It was currently 1230 (SST), and he realized just how much time had passed.

He walked over to the elevator that led to the private docking bay of the _Normandy_, and stepped in. As the elevator slowly rose, a voice spouted some random news about something. He didn't pay much attention to it.

As the elevator slid to a stop, he was greeted by two armed C-sec security officers, and an unarmed one speaking into an earpiece. The officer looked up, and a relieved look spread across his face. He strode over and quickly saluted and greeted him.

"Commander Shepard, good. I was just about to call you here. We have a situation, and since you are the CO of the ship docked here, I thought you should know."

Shepard nodded and folded his arms.

"Of course, what's the problem?"

The officer hesitated, and dropped his salute, speaking haltingly.

"Well sir, we found a young woman who had snuck aboard a freighter, and hitched a ride here. We tried to apprehend her, because we believe she is mentally unstable. However, I don't want to order my men to hurt her, so I was wondering if you could use this sedative, "the officer proffers out an syringe," And get her to use it herself, or if need be, you use it on her."

Shepard took the syringe, glancing over it. He turned it over a few times, before he started asking more questions.

"OK, why do you think I would have a better chance to speak with her? And where is she?"

The officer looked back over his shoulder to the far end of the dock, where a stack of crates lay about. He pointed to it, and answered his questions.

"She's over there, crouched behind the crates. And I think you will have a better chance talking to her because…" The C-sec officer suddenly became very nervous, and had to swallow several times before replying.

"Because she's from Mindoir."

* * *

Shepard almost dropped the syringe upon hearing where she was from. His voice was quiet with shock.

"What? No, that's impossible; I was the only survivor of Mindoir. Everyone else was killed or taken away."

The officer nodded.

"You're right, but she wasn't found like you were, sir, she was taken by the pirates. She's been captive for who knows how long, and she recently escaped, or at least that's what I think."

"… OK I'm going to talk to her. Tell your men to holster their rifles. I can handle this."

Shepard stared dully at the crates, and lightly bounced the syringe in his hand. He took a deep breath, and walked over to the crates. As he rounded the corner, he saw a female figure curled up in a ball, he hands covering her head. She trembled with… fear?

She looked up and saw the man, and immediately reacted stood up, and drew a sidearm she had concealed. Shepard put his hands up in surrender, and backed away. When the woman spoke, her tone was frantic, hysterical.

"Stop-Stop! What… What are you?"

"Hey, calm down. I'm Commander Shepard, Systems Alliance. What's your name?"

The woman's eyes darted around constantly, but always returned to Shepard.

"Animals don't get names… The masters put their symbols on her… hot metal all over her back… She screams when they do it."

Shepard's face contorted into one of disgust and contempt. _Fucking batarians._

"I don't care about what those pigs called you. I want to know what your name is, the one given to you when you were born."

His voice was calm and level, but it masked a fury directed at batarians. The woman's features softened, and her frantic behavior began diminishing. Her voice was less frightened, and more on the verge of tears. She lowered the gun as she spoke.

"Talitha. They call her that. She… she doesn't remember the rest."

Her voice was shaky, and the sadness could be heard in her voice.

"Leave her alone."

Shepard's heart ached at the sight of this girl. He knew her. He had seen her several times while on Mindoir. She was a pretty girl, once. But now, she wore rags, and her hair was all but gone. He could see markings just over her shoulder blades, and Shepard felt the overwhelming urge to defend this girl.

"Talitha… I'm going to take a step towards you now, OK?"

As he took a step closer, she suddenly reeled back, her mind back in the hands of her memories.

No! She's no good! Don't want to be handled again!" She took leaned further back from him, her eyes bright with fear.

"Talitha… Where are you parents? Are they…"

Shepard was trying to distract her, to keep her away from the ingrained fear the pirates instilled in her. She spoke carefully, her words slowly and halting.

"There's… She sees them. They're yelling, 'Run! Hide!' They hit the masters, but the masters, they have lights and hoses. Daddy's…"

She puts her hands to her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"He's melting! She doesn't want to see that! Don't make her look, don't look! Stupid girl!"

Shepard spoke carefully.

"I'm going to take another step towards you now."

Shepard cautiously approached her, and she reeled back again, but less so.

She doesn't want… Don't touch her!"

Her voice was pitched as she finished, but she didn't back up. Shepard took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Talitha, I was on Mindoir. My parents… My dad and sister… they died in the raid."

Talitha immediately got aggressive with her stance.

"Lying! You get hit for lying! Get the buzz or the burning. Can't be there… Why are you alive!?" She suddenly brought the gun back up, pointed at Shepard.

"Why aren't you like her!? Broken, only fit to dig and carry…"

Shepard paused, and spoke again, resisting the urge to envelope this girl, provide her the comfort she needs.

"I… fought. My dad, my sister, we all fought. They died… an artillery strike killed them. I was buried under rubble. If they saw me, they left me for dead."

Talitha lowered the gun slowly, her voice confused.

"Dead animals can't work? You lose your mommy and sister, but you don't dig, you don't carry. You stand up… She wishes she could stand up."

Shepard was almost in range of her now.

"I'm going to take another step towards you, OK?"

Talitha didn't violently reel, she just pitifully whined now.

"No, please don't touch her! She's dirty, you'll get it."

Shepard proffered a hand out, the one holding the sedative.

"Talitha… this will make you sleep. If you fall asleep, they'll take you to a place where you can get better."

Talitha took the sedative in hand, and gazed at it apprehensively. As she put the needle in her arm slowly, the medicine injected into her, and she felt herself slowly slipping. When she spoke, her voice was slightly slurred.

"Will she have bad dreams…?"

Shepard took her into his arms, hugging her warmly. He whispered into her ear, conveying as much security and comfort as he could.

"No, Talitha. No bad dreams."

Talitha hugged him back, and she spoke dreamily.

"She'd like that… It hurts when she… when I remember me. But she wants to remember."

They disengaged, and Talitha began falling down to the ground. Shepard caught her, and slowly laid her down, so she didn't hurt herself. As he placed her on the ground, he saw the hints of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, and he smiled sadly at her.

A single tear coursed down his face, and he caught it before it fell, flicking it away. He stood up, and walked back over to the C-sec trio.

"It's done. Take her to a mental hospital, she needs help."

His voice was quiet and sad, and he didn't want for their reply. He turned into the _Normandy's_ docking port, and walked the distance into the airlock. He turned and watched as two of them carried the girl back to the elevator, holding her body and handling it with respect.

The door sealed shut, and the decontamination process began, and Shepard leaned against the wall, and slid down to a sitting position. He sat there while the cycle ran, fighting an inner battle to avoid spilling more tears.

* * *

Shepard walked into the medbay, and checked his omni-tool. He had sat in the airlock room well after it was done, and the talk with Talitha took some time. It was currently 1315. He strode over to Tali's medical bed, and saw that her eyes were wide open. She lifted her uninjured arm, and wave at him. Dr. Chakwas was on the far side of the bed, running tests to make sure the bones were completely intact now.

Shepard took his spot in the seat he had occupied earlier, and smiled at her.

"So? Is she good to go, Doctor?"

Dr. Chakwas completed her scan, and nodded.

"Yes, I do believe she should be fine. The implants built into her broken bones should make the bones stronger without hindering or improving you. Also, you may feel some soreness from the fractures as they were not treated as well as the broken bones. All things aside, she is 100%, Commander."

Chakwas stood up, and walked around the bed, taking her spot at her desk. Shepard turned his head to watch Chakwas go, and heard some slight movement behind him. He turned back around and saw Tali had gotten up out of the bed on the other side, and stood fully upright.

Shepard had a good view of her, but kept his eyes up. Tali stretched, letting out an involuntary sigh as her muscles tensed and relaxed. She applied various amounts of pressure to her limbs, making sure they were all fully functional.

Several minutes later, and her tests completed, Tali turned around to see Shepard staring at her with an amused look.

"Done yet?"

Tali put her hands on her hips, and gave him a scolding look. Shepard put his hands up in mock surrender, and stood up, walking around to her, and picking her hands up with his own.

"Just kidding. How are you feeling?"

His voice became tender as he asked her how she was. She was still touched at just how much Shepard cared about her.

"Great. Dr. Chakwas told me we're at the Citadel now, and you gave everyone some shore leave."

Shepard shrugged, and dropped her hands, leaning back against her recently empty bed.

"Yeah, I made up several excuses. The real reason we came back here was because I thought I would have to carry you to a hospital to save you."

Tali scooted closer to Shepard, and looked up at his face. He looked down, and gave her a warm smile.

"Really? We actually came back here just so you could make sure I survived?"

Shepard shrugged again.

"Well, yeah. But let's not talk about that right now. I gave EVERYONE shore leave, including you, and since you're up now, you get to enjoy it. Would you like to accompany me while we go visit Dr. Michel?"

Tali was happy that she was going to get to spend time with Shepard, but something confused her.

"Who's Dr. Michel?"

Shepard gave her a curious look.

"The female human who led you to Fist."

Tali nodded her head.

"Ahh. I didn't ask for her name in case the people hunting me would hunt her down too."

"Well, we're going to go visit her, and I can thank her."

Now it was Tali's turn to look curious.

"Why?"

Shepard took Tali's hand, and led her out of the medbay with her in tow. As they walked out and the door closed behind them, he spoke softly, never stopping his stride.

"Because she led me to you."

* * *

"Hey Dr. Michel, I have someone with me you might recognize."

Shepard had just entered her clinic, with Tali beside him. He had let her hand go once they left the ship, and she was slightly behind him now. Dr. Michel was sitting at her desk, going through a list of supplies. As she heard Shepard, she glanced up, and recognized both people.

"Commander Shepard! And Miss Zorah! So you did manage to save her then?"

Shepard gave her a broad smile.

"Of course, Doctor. I always succeed when I have to rescue women from a terrible fate."

Dr. Michel gave him a scolding look, a playful light behind it. She stood up, and Shepard walked over to embrace her. As he did, he whispered lightly into her ear.

"Thank you for leading me to her."

Dr. Michel and Shepard disengaged, and Shepard gave her a grin like nothing happened. She gave him a weird look, and looked between the two. She saw how Tali always had her eyes of Shepard at some point, and she saw how happy Shepard was now. She cocked an eyebrow, at Shepard, and he smiled even wider, shaking his head fractionally.

Dr. Michel had to stop herself from exclaiming in joy for Tali and Shepard, but couldn't stop a grin from splitting her lips. She turned to Tali, and spoke jokingly.

"So, Miss Zorah, need me to address your wounds again?"

"Please, call me Tali." Shepard interrupts here.

"She did get into a life threatening situation recently."

Dr. Michel's eyes became very worried, and she looked over Tali, searching for any injuries. Shepard put a hand out, and spoke before she could ask.

"Don't worry, she is 100% now. She got uh… tackled by a krogan battlemaster."

Dr. Michel's eyes widened with surprise.

"Oh my. I imagine that was painful."

Shepard shook his head.

"I don't think so. She passed out as soon as she was hit."

Tali spoke up here.

"Dr. Chakwas, the ship doctor, managed to heal my wounds."

Dr. Michel smiled with relief at her.

"Oh, that's good. I'm glad to know that you made it out safe."

Shepard and Tali nodded, and Shepard spoke again.

"Ok, well we just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing Doctor. Unfortunately, we have some other business to attend to. But it was nice seeing you again."

As Shepard and Tali both walked back to the clinic door, she called out to them.

"The pleasure was all mine, Commander."

As the door closed and they disappeared from her view, Dr. Michel let out a joyous giggle. She muttered happily to herself.

"So, the Commander and Tali, huh? That should be a fun match."

She turned back to her list, and began running through it, a smile etched on her face.

* * *

"Commander Shepard!"

Shepard and Tali were currently on the upper floor of the markets, a short distance away from Dr. Michel's clinic. They were browsing at a store, when a young voice called out to them. Shepard walked over to the young man, Tali in tow. He was young, his eyes energetic. He had blonde hair and facial hair, and was slightly shorter than him.

As Shepard got close enough to start a conversation comfortably, the young lad began speaking.

"Oh man, Commander Shepard I'm a huge fan of yours!"

Shepard glanced down at Tali, a bewildered look on his face. She just shrugged.

"Uh, thanks?"

"I hope it's not too much to ask for your autograph sir?"

"Um, sure, why not?"

The young lad offered out a datapad, and while Shepard wrote his signature, 'Commander Shepard', he asked the young man a question.

"What's your name?"

The young man's face blanched as he realized he hadn't introduced himself.

"Oh sorry sir! I'm Conrad Verner!"

As Shepard finished writing his signature, he handed the datapad with his signature back to Conrad.

"Well, Conrad, there you go."

Conrad hugged the datapad to his chest, and was practically ablaze with energy.

"Oh thank you, sir, my wife is going to love this!"

Conrad took off leaving Shepard and Tali standing there. A few seconds passed, before Tali spoke.

"Well that was… interesting. I wonder if I will have any fans back on the fleet."

Shepard shrugged and mumbled.

"Hopefully they aren't as energetic as that lad. And besides, once we stop Saren, you'll be just as famous as me."

"Me? As famous as the great Commander Shepard? Impossible!"

Shepard rolled his eyes, and Tali giggled.

"Alright, let's go. It's already," Shepard opened up his omni-tool for the time." 1500. Wow, time flew by fast. Ok, well I'm going back to the ship; I want to sleep on a bed now."

Tali shrugged.

"Guess I'll go along. Not like you gave me much choice."

Shepard gave her a broad grin.

"I gave you plenty of choice."

"Hardly."

Shepard and Tali began walking around, looking for a way to get back to the _Normandy_. They walked down some steps into the lower markets, and saw a taxi pad through one of the doors leading to Chora's Den.

"Over there. Looks like there's a taxi pad behind the door."

Shepard took off towards the door, walking briskly, Tali to his left. As they walked around the stalls, they crossed paths with a turian, who roughly shouldered Tali. She stumbled into Shepard, and he caught her.

"Woah! You okay?"

Tali nodded her head, embarrassed at what happened.

"I'm fine."

The turian, who had slowed his pace after he hit her, scoffed.

"suit-rat."

Shepard felt his blood boil at the insult. _Suit-rat!? This turian is going to die._ Shepard left Tali's side, and walked up to the turian, grabbing him roughly by the shoulder, spinning him around. He put his face right in the turians, despite the fact he was a good 4 inches taller.

"What did you say?"

The turian wasn't very smart. He was partially drunk from having just come from Chora's Den, and was naturally an arrogant man.

"I called her a suit-rat, human."

His voice sneered at Shepard. Shepard balled a fist, and crashed it into the man's face, his other hand holding him in place. After he landed the punch, he threw the turian into a nearby wall. As the turian crumpled down against the wall, Shepard pinned him up by the throat, his forearm holding him several inches about the floor.

"Unless you want to live, you better apologize to my _friend, _turian. I'm a Council Spectre, so I can kill you right here, right now, and no one would question it, no one would miss you. So you better clear your head before you say something really fucking stupid."

Shepard's voice was cracked with anger and fury. Tali, who had been watching in a stunned daze, suddenly walked over to Shepard, and tugged on the arm that pinned the turian against the wall.

"Shepard stop."

The turian was gurgling, desperately trying to get air into his body. Unknown to the turian and Tali, Shepard had his knife drawn, pressing into the turians stomach. Tali tugged his arm harder this time, and spoke louder.

"Shepard stop!"

The words pierced through his cloud of anger, and he dropped the turian. He fell into a sitting position, one hand at his throat, while he gasped for breath. His eyes were looking up fearfully at the man who had a knife drawn on him.

Shepard glared at him with contempt, and pointed the knife at him.

"Apologize to my friend."

His voice was low, but it carried throughout the room. Everyone was watching intently, the silence palpable. The turian gasped for another breath, before nodding and speaking quickly.

"I'm sorry, ma'am I shouldn't have insulted you. Please don't kill me!"

Shepard nodded, and sheathed his blade. He turned back around, and headed towards the door concealing the taxi pad.

"Good, now leave, before you do something you won't live to regret."

Tali stared after him, shocked at how he had reacted to her being insulted. She was used to it; most quarians just ignored it. But Shepard took it personally. A part of her was shocked at how violent he had been, but another part of her loved him even more and thought he was even sexier than before. She took off after him, and the turian sat on the floor, his mind still processing what just happened.

As soon as the door closed behind Tali and Shepard, the crowd resumed its normal activities, as if nothing happened.

* * *

**A/N **

**Yay, another chapter concluded, more of Shepard being passionately happy, confused, and most of all, pissed off.**

**Writing the Talitha part was hard, i had to hold back tears.**

**Review, Keelah Se'lai.**


	19. Chapter 18: Catching Up

**A/N**

**Could this be it? Shepard is in a sour mood, and needs something to cheer him up. Is it time for the 'talk'? **

**Read, you must.**

* * *

_Chapter 18: Catching Up_

The silence in the taxi was oppressing. Shepard had called a cab over, and got in, Tali following. As he got it, he spoke shortly.

"C-sec Academy."

The driver, a salarian, nodded, and the car hummed and purred as it began to accelerate. Shepard leaned against the door, staring blankly out into space. Tali was next to him, but there was a small gap between them. She had never seen Shepard lose his temper like that before, she only knew about it through Shepard's side of the Therum mission.

She sat tensely, her fingers fiddling about in her lap. No words passed between them, and the ride seemed to last forever, despite it only being a few minutes. The car's high-pitched whirring died down, and the car jolted slightly as it touched down on solid ground. Shepard whipped out a credit chit, and handed it to the salarian, stepping out in the same move.

Tali quickly got out as well, and went after Shepard, who was already walking towards the elevator leading to the private docking bay of the _Normandy_. Shepard got in, and held the door open until Tali stepped in. He let go of the door, and it slid shut, beginning its slow ascent. Silence was present once again, and Tali began twirling her fingers together again.

A voice, the same one from before, spoke out again, telling yet another news cast. As Shepard sulked about, a name caught his attention, and he was suddenly focused raptly on the voice.

"-al Jilani, a Westerlund News reporter attempted to get an interview with the famed Commander Shepard earlier today. She attempted to ask him a simple questions, and the Commander reacted violently, lashing out at her and dislocating her jaw. Ms. Al-Jilani is considering pressing charges against the Commander for assault. More information will be broadcasted on the Citadel News Feed."

Shepard shook his head, grunting with ill humor. Tali listened to the voice with interest, and turned to look at Shepard, cocking her head sideways in a question. Shepard gave her a small smile, and shook his head.

"Once we're on the _Normandy,_ I'll explain."

Tali narrowed his eyes at Shepard, and folded her arms across her chest. Shepard cocked an eyebrow at her, staring coolly back. They glared at each other, until the elevator dinged, and the door slid open, revealing the _Normandy _dry-docked. Shepard stepped out of the elevator, taking off down the gangway towards the airlock. Tali followed quickly after, her curiosity threatening to spill out. They both stepped into the airlock, and the decon unit began its cleaning cycle. As the grid slowly slid across the room, Tali spoke up.

"Well? We're on the ship now. Are you going to tell me why you 'assaulted' a reporter?"

Shepard laughed lightly, and crossed his arms.

"Well, if I tell you about that incident, I would have to tell you everything else. But we can do that in my cabin, not here."

The cycle finished, and the door opened, revealing the CIC and cockpit. As Shepard stepped out towards the CIC, a voice called out to him from the cockpit.

"Hey Commander, did you see the news? You made the front page! So to speak. So, how hard did you hit that reporter?"

Joker's humorous tone rang out, and Shepard shook his head, turning back around to face Joker, who was looking over the shoulder of his seat.

"Pretty hard. I was trying to break her jaw, not dislocate it."

Joker winced at the thought.

"Ouch, Commander. Bit harsh, don't you think?"

Shepard shook his head.

"No, not at all. She's a reporter working for a bias news firm. She deserved it. Plus she insulted me."

Joker stared at him with round eyes.

"She insulted _you_, of all people? Wow, ok she deserved it."

Shepard gave Joker a grin, and turned to leave, Tali following closely on his heels. He rounded down the steps into the mess hall, and hit the door to his cabin open. He stepped aside, and gestured Tali inside. She nodded courtesy, and stepped inside, her gaze wandering over the room with intrigue. It looked just like she remembered it, except the desk had more datapads on it.

She took the seat she customarily took when she came up here, and watched as Shepard was about to sit down, only to freeze in place, and leave quickly, explaining his reason as he left.

"Hold on, I'm going to go get some water."

Shepard stepped out, and the door shut close. The room was suddenly void, and seemed almost oppressive. Tali realized just how much Shepard affected the people and area around him. He always seemed to brighten a place up, leaving them just a little bit darker and void once he left. The door clicked open again, and Shepard walked in with two glasses in hand, one with a straw.

As he walked to the other side of the table, he placed the glass with the straw down in front of Tali, and took his seat opposite of her, taking a sip of his cup of water. Tali picked up her glass, and looked it over carefully.

"Did you sanitize the straw?"

Shepard sighed, a tone of mock exasperation hidden in there.

"Yes, my princess, it's sanitized. Besides, you wouldn't die from a couple of bacteria. If I remember correctly, only turian bacteria can kill you. Levo bacteria just give you allergic reactions."

Tali rolled her eyes, slightly impressed with his memory.

"Don't call me princess, I'm not royalty. and I'm surprised you remembered that."

Shepard shrugged.

"Yeah, well I did find it interesting."

Tali took a sip of her drink, and sighed appreciatively. She set the glass down, and placed her arms on the table, her eyes alight with eagerness.

"So, are you going tell me, or do I need to interrogate you?"

Shepard grinned at her.

"You know how to interrogate someone?"

Tali shrugged dismissively.

"No, but I can always try."

Shepard took another gulp of his water.

"Well, maybe next time."

Shepard set the glass down on the table, and placed his elbows upon the table, his hands level with his face. His thumbs twirled around each other as he collected his thoughts.

"Ok, well first, I gave everyone shore leave…"

* * *

"Oh Aaron… I'm so sorry. I'm glad you met another survivor from Mindoir, but meeting her like that…"

Shepard just nodded, staring dully at his glass. He had told her everything, from the dismissal of Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, to decking Ms. Al-Jilani in the jaw, and then to memory lane with Talitha.

"Yeah, it was hard. I actually remember her. She used to be one of the prettiest girls in our town. Then that day happened, and well, the rest is history. Seeing how she treated herself like she was just some beast, only fit to carry and work…"

Shepard tightened his grip on his glass, his knuckles showing white. Luckily, he restrained just enough to not shatter it. Tali reached across and laid a hand across his, and his grip loosened on the glass, and he let out a soft sigh.

"Well, that's all that happened then. Everything else you already know."

Tali nodded, and began to speak hesitantly.

"About that Aaron, I mean the incident with the turian… That was kind of… unexpected."

Shepard's body tensed as he heard the turians condescending tone in his head, calling Tali a suit-rat. His eyes narrowed in anger, but he pushed the thought away before he did something he would regret. He took a deep breath, and stared into Tali's eyes.

"Tali, there used to be three things in this world I hated. Now's there's four. I hate biased media/politics, I hate batarians for what they did to my home, and I hate racism."

Tali cocked her head as he said a word she didn't quite recognize.

"racism?"

Shepard nodded.

"Yeah, like how the turian insulted you with a word only insulting to your species. Like, specific insults against a single people."

Tali nodded her head knowingly.

"And what's the fourth?"

"The fourth thing I hate in this world is seeing someone hurt you or insult you. It sort of ties into racism, but I don't get that violent when it's just one of them. If you combine two or more things I hate into one, I might just do something… drastic."

Tali giggled softly.

"I'll say. Keelah, seeing you fight for my respect was something I'll always remember."

Shepard smiled at her.

"You know I'll always be there for you, right?"

Tali's hooded her eyes, and spoke with a soft purr.

"And I'll always be there for you."

Shepard and Tali gazed at each other, each one entranced with the other. Tali picked up her glass, pushing the straw through the slit in her suit designed for eating/drinking, taking another sip. She set it down, and leaned back in her chair, intertwining her hands on top of her stomach.

"So, about that talk you promised me…"

Shepard grinned at her, and shook his head.

"Not now. Besides, I don't really think we need it at this point."

Tali crossed her arms in a mock pout, causing Shepard to laugh heartily.

"Maybe not, but I would still like that talk."

He smiled sweetly at her.

"Ok, but not now. We can have that discussion later."

"Mmm… Fine, but you have to promise me we will have it."

Shepard rolled his eyes, but Tali insisted.

"Do it, Aaron. Promise me."

"Fine. I promise we will have that talk, Tali."

Tali smiled inside her helmet, and nodded.

"Good. Now, I need to do something productive down in Engineering. I'm sure something broke while I was unconscious."

Tali stood up to leave, taking the glass with her, and walked out of the cabin, hearing Shepard's soft farewell through her audio pickups. The door closed behind her, and she strode over to the kitchen, placing the glass in the sink, and rinsing it out. She looked at her hands, seeing the water glide effortlessly off her suit. Once she rinsed it off, she put it away, and turned to leave towards the Engineering deck, when her omni-tool chimed.

She glanced down at her omni-tool, and brought it up, the orange interface reflecting off her visor. She checked the notifications, and saw she had received a message in reply to one she sent earlier. Tali frowned as she thought about who she sent a message too, and it suddenly dawned on her.

She opened it up, and read the name of the sender. Shala'Raan vas Tonbay.

* * *

_15 minutes ago, Migrant Fleet_

Shala'Raan was on her ship, the _Tonbay_, overlooking a large plaza where bits and pieces of tech lay about. It was a market area of sorts, but different in this way. The quarians don't barter among themselves, instead leaving things they don't need in an area such as the one she was looking over.

The room was brimming with activity, the chatter of people and shuffling steps creating a lot of noise. The quarians were like one big family, and everyone treated each other like old friends and family.

She watched saw many young quarians searching eagerly, many of them searching for any bits of tech that could help them in any way possible. As she watched the youngsters searching amongst the piles, a thought dawned upon her. She had never replied to Tali's message. She quickly brought up her message on her omni-tool, and smiled softly as she read the words again.

A thought stirred in her brain again as she read it through, but it was too loud and noisy for her to remember the thought clearly. She quickly opened up a reply message box, and paused for a second, thinking out her response. Once her words were clear in her head, she began to tap on the virtual keyboard of her omni-tool.

12 minutes later, she finally concluded the message, satisified with how it was written. She turned to watch over the crowd again, only to be approached by a young male quarian. He saluted her, and she dipped her head slightly.

"Admiral Han'Gerrel sent me. He says there is to be a meeting in half an hour."

"Thank you, I'll make sure to be there."

The young quarian lad nodded, and turned to leave. Once he was out of earshot, she let out an exasperated sigh. She had no doubt there would be yelling and bickering at the meeting, no doubt between Han and Zaal'Koris. Daro'Xen will probably sit back and watch amusingly again, which left Shala'Raan the task of diffusing the situation. _By the Ancestors, I don't know how those two haven't killed each other yet._

* * *

_Back on the Normandy_

Tali withheld her curiosity, and stepped into the elevator, planning to read the message once she was down in Engineering. Thoughts flew through her mind at incredible speeds, and not a single one stuck around for long. The elevator finally touched down, and she stepped out hurriedly, turning the corner into Engineering.

The door slid open, and the massive Tantalus drive core of the _Normandy _was displayed in all its technological superiority. She paused in her step as she gazed admiringly at the amazing workmanship, before striding over to her terminal, and sitting down next to it against the wall. She brought her omni-tool back in front of her, and opened up her Raan's message.

_Tali'Zorah nar Rayya,_

_Keelah, it is good to hear from you again, child. I have to admit I was worried about your safety. I read your message, and I still am worried about you, Tali. I asked Kal'Reegar to help me find out who your captain was, as you didn't mention his name. He told me it could be Commander Shepard, and I believe him. _

_But if it is Commander Shepard, then you are in a dangerous position, hunting down a man who can control the geth. I know Shepard is a very talented man, from both your description of him and Kal's, but please, stay safe Tali._

_Love, _

_Auntie Raan_

Tali read through the message again and again. She was shocked they had found out who she was following, but it was replaced with realization. I mean, you are traveling with a man who was a part of a major travesty, and played a major role in defending an entire city from a massive pirate fleet. Tali sighed as she read Auntie Raan's message.

She knew it would be dangerous when she had asked him if she could accompany him, and she had already been injured badly. And yet, Tali wanted to be nowhere else. Not even aboard her home, the Migrant Fleet. Tali secretly loathed the day she would find a Pilgrimage gift, but the quarian instinct inside her told her how selfish she was being.

She knew she had to return to the fleet. _You can't just abandon your people, Tali. Not even for… Aaron. _The more she thought about it, the thought of living the rest of her life by Shepard's side, in war or in peace, the more she wanted it, even craved it.

But her sense of duty was fighting just as hard as her urge to stay with the man she loved. Tali sat in emotional turmoil for minutes, the hum of the drive core the only sound in the room. Finally, she stood up, shaking off the thoughts. _I can figure this out later, but for sure, I will stay with Shepard until we stop Saren, that much I can do._

She turned to her terminal, and turned it on, watching the readouts flash by. She studied each one carefully, and began working on improving systems where she could. Seconds later, she was completely immersed in her task, the internal conflict all but gone from her mind.

* * *

Shepard was still seated at the table, his eyes resting upon the seat Tali had been occupying. He was also going through an internal conflict. _How far do I want to take this? I love her more than anything, but she still has her Pilgrimage. Once she leaves, I'll never see her again. _Shepard sighed bitterly, and swirled the half-empty glass of water around.

He really wanted to pursue Tali further, but the fact she would eventually leave broke his heart. _I would lose her like I lost every other._ Shepard shook his head, and sighed, his gaze shifting down towards the ground. Shepard knew she still needed a gift, but would she stay with him afterwards? Besides, even if it somehow managed to work out for the best, her immune system wouldn't allow anything... intimate. He stood up, leaving his glass on the table, and strode over to the edge of his bed. He sat down, and began untying his boots.

He placed them at the foot of his bed, and peeled off his shirt, throwing it off to the side. He sighed and lay down on the bed. He was tired, and it was an eventful day, despite not being in combat. He could worry about her immune system and the feelings they shared later. He rested his head against a pillow, and closed his eyes, passing into a dreamless sleep, the first in a long time.

* * *

**A/N **

**This was a short one, and for some reason I'm not satisifed by it, so I'm writing another chapter after i upload this. **

**Mwahaha, no talk just yet.**

**Review, Keelah Se'lai.**


	20. Chapter 19: Back on the Road

**A/N**

**So I was going to write another chapter yesterday, but I procrastinated, and then my connection to the internet cut off, and I just got it back now. So that's my excuse for not uploading two chapters yesterday.**

**And I am definitely not putting off the talk between Shep/Tali… I'm just saving it for later! :D**

* * *

_Chapter 19: Back on the Road_

"Commander? Helloooo?"

A voice echoed dully in Shepard's ears. He woke slowly, his head still muddled with sleep. As he slowly began to recollect himself, the voice spoke out again, and Shepard recognized it as Joker.

"Shepard? Are you dead?"

Shepard shook his head slightly, smiling at the oddity of the question. If he were dead, he wouldn't be able to reply anyways.

"No, I was sleeping. What time is it?"

"It's 2200. Some delivery boy came by earlier, said he had a number of packages made out to you. He dropped them off in the cargo bay if you want to go check up on them. Also, the rest of the crew came back on board some time ago."

Shepard nodded, despite being by himself.

"Good. I want us ready to leave at 0900 and headed towards Feros."

"Got it, Commander."

Static hummed through the air, before a small click ended the connection between Joker and Shepard. Shepard brought his legs over to the side of his bed, placing them next to his boots. He rubbed both hands across his face, and let out an involuntary sigh. He stood up and arched his back, twisting it one way and then the other. He began flexing out his limbs, getting the stiffness out, before reaching underneath his bed for the dresser. He pulled out a clean crew member shirt, and tugged it on. Still sitting on the edge of the bed, he leaned forward and began lacing up his boots.

He stood up, fully clothed, and headed towards his cabin door. As he stepped out, he saw most of the crew was gathered there. The only person missing was Tali, who was no doubt working down in Engineering. There was some small banter going on between them, and most of them seemed to be enjoying the camaraderie. Wrex was leaning against the wall in his usual spot, Kaidan was seated slightly in front of Wrex, and Ashley was next to him. Garrus was seated at the head of the table closest to Shepard, and Liara was sitting with her back facing him.

As he approached, Wrex glanced at him and nodded briefly.

"Shepard."

Everyone turned around as they heard Wrex speak, and they too called out their greetings

"Hi Skipper."

"Hey Commander."

"Ah, hello Commander Shepard."

"Shepard."

Shepard took a sit on Liara's left, and Liara turned away quickly, her cheeks changing colors slightly. He sat down, and propped his arms in the table with his elbows.

"Hey guys. How was shore leave?"

Everyone shared glances with each other, until Wrex elected himself to speak first.

"Boring. I didn't get to fight anything. I did get to drink some ryncol though."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow.

"ryncol?"

Wrex grinned.

"Yeah, strong alcohol. Only krogan can stomach it down."

"Sounds… pleasant. So I assume this means you all went to a bar?"

Garrus nodded, and replied.

"Yeah, we went down to Flux and got a few drinks. Not enough to get more than buzzed, as you humans say."

Shepard smiled at Garrus and his use of human words, but before he could reply, Ashley spoke up.

"So, Skipper, we saw an interesting news cast earlier. It said you punched a reporter in the face?"

Shepard turned to grin at her, and saw everyone was waiting expectantly for him to explain. Even Wrex had a curious look in his eyes.

"Right, well after that whole admiral incident, I rode the elevator down after you and this reporter tried to get me to do an interview. She said her name was Khalisah bint Sinan al Jilani, and she worked for Westerlund News. I told her I was busy, and I didn't have time. She starts spouting out questions anyways, and askes me if the Council is treating humanity as a 'poor relation', and if the _Normandy _was officially a Council ship now. I told her the ship was still Alliance; I'm just using it to pursue my duties as a Spectre. Then she said something that really pissed me off. She asked me why I wasn't going after Saren, and why I was shirking my duty as a Spectre by traversing the Artemis Tau cluster."

Kaidan cocked an eyebrow at that, and Ashley was shocked. Liara looked somewhat guilty, and Wrex just grinned savagely, waiting for Shepard to get to the good part. Garrus for his part had a disgusted look on his face.

"She didn't get to finish her sentence before I spun around and decked her hard. Apparently I had dislocated her jaw, but I was intending to break it."

Wrex chuckled mercilessly.

"Heh, I like the way you handle the media, Shepard."

"The nerve of that woman…"

Ashley's voice was in disbelief. Liara spoke up afterwards, her voice somewhat hesitant.

"Commander, I'm sorry if I caused you any grief on my behalf."

She was about to say more, but Shepard held up a hand, cutting her off.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Liara. That woman is part of the media, they like to pervert news and fill people's heads with false information. I don't care what she says about me. However, if she begins insulting my crew, I may do more than dislocate her jaw."

Garrus's voice was somewhat shocked at Shepard's blatant willingness to commit unnecessary violence.

"Doesn't that seem a bit excessive, Shepard?"

Before Shepard could reply, a new voice entered the mix.

"If you think that's excessive, ask him about the incident with the drunk turian."

Tali rounded around the corner, and locked eyes with Shepard. He gave her a broad grin, and patted the seat next to him, out of view from everyone else. She got the message, and walked over to sit next to him, as everyone else began to inquire about that specific story.

"That sounds like a good story."

"Agreed. I'm interested."

"Comeon, Skipper, tell us."

"I have to admit, this intrigues me as well."

Shepard sighed, and crossed a leg over the over, creating a t with his legs. He leaned back in his chair, and gestured to Tali.

"Tali can tell you all about it. It's about her anyways."

Shepard sat back and listened to Tali retell the story of that incident, captivating everyone's attention. Wrex laughed heartily at the end, while Garrus, Ashley, and Kaidan all had looks of scorn. Liara seemed impassive to it all.

"Heh, turian got what he deserved."

"Ugh, racist bastard."

"Yeah, he deserved that."

Shepard glanced around at the crew, and their unanimous decision that the turian got what he deserved, and sat back up. He began to stand, speaking to the crew as he stood.

"Alright, well go get some rest. We're leaving at 0900 for Feros, and I want everyone at 100%."

Shepard's crew sat up, with everyone leaving towards their designated sleeping areas. As the area cleared out, Shepard noticed Tali was still seated. He glanced down at her, and put a hand on her shoulder lightly.

"Tali?"

"Hmm?"

"I told everyone to go get some rest… were you even listening?"

Tali looked up at him, and hurriedly stood up, apologizing in the midst of it.

"Oh! Sorry I was… day-dreaming I guess… I'll um… just go now…"

Shepard grabbed Tali's arm before she could take off, and held it loosely, but firmly. He turned her so she was looking at him directly, and locked eyes with each other.

"Tali… how well do you know human customs?"

Tali cocked her head to the side, an unspoken question up in the air.

"Well… human customs about… relationships."

Tali eyes widened as Shepard spoke, and her cheeks began flushing a deep lavender.

"Oh. Um… maybe?"

She didn't want to admit she had been doing to extranet searches in her free time. Shepard laughed lightly, and replied smartly.

"You're not a very good liar, Tali. Anyways, I was wondering… Will you go out with me, and be my girlfriend?"

Tali's heart leapt for joy, and it showed on the surface, as she practically leaped into Shepard's arms, a girlish squeal escaping her. She hugged him tightly, and Shepard was stunned at the ferocity at first. Eventually, he placed his arms around Tali, and hugged her warmly. They separated slightly, Shepard's face inches from her visor. He stared deeply into her eyes, and she into his.

"So is that a yes?"

Tali laughed softly, and placed her hands around the back of Shepard's neck.

"I don't know, what do you think?"

Shepard smiled down at her, and placed his hands on her waist. She shivered at the contact, and had to stop a soft moan from escaping her lips.

"So, you never told me quarians have very sensitive skin."

Tali blushed slightly, and cleared her throat.

"Ahem, well… I mean that's kind of personal information…"

Shepard nodded slightly, understanding why she withheld it. They stared deeply into each other's eyes, and Tali longed to be able to press her lips into his. Shepard was also feeling the same, the urge to meet her lips almost overwhelming. Tali spoke again, voicing her frustrations.

"Damn this mask…"

Shepard laughed lightly, and pressed his forehead against her visor.

"So you were thinking the same thing, huh?"

Tali bit her lip underneath her helmet, her desire slowly overwhelming her senses. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Nothing would make me happier, Tali, but you know we can't. Your immune system…"

Tali sighed frustratedly, and broke eye contact.

"I know, I know…"

She began to think, trying to find a solution to their current dilemma. An idea strayed in her mind, and her eyes lit up with some hope.

"Well… there could be a way…"

Shepard cocked an eyebrow, and Tali looked back up, locking eyes with Shepard again.

"Oh really?"

She nodded.

"Yes, I could take herbal supplements, antibiotics, and immunoboosters to help combat any sickness. And if we… share contact enough… I might even get used to you, and not get sick anymore."

Shepard smiled at her, and reached to plant a kiss on the top of her visor. He left an imprint of his kiss there, slight and faint.

"It's a start. Now go get some rest."

Tali hesitated, not wanting to break her hold on Shepard. Reluctantly, she let go, and turned to go. Shepard watched her leave, her hips slightly swaying back and forth. Blood began to pulsate, but he repulsed it, and re-entered his cabin. He approached his desk and sat down, bringing up omni-tool. He opened up the extranet, and began searching for everything and anything related to quarian relationships.

Unforunately, most of them were written by bigots and racists who had no clue just how amazing quarians were. Shepard sighed. It was going to be a long night of searching.

* * *

"Commander, we just hit the mass relay, on our way to the Attican Beta, Theseus System. Should be there in 2 ½ hours."

Shepard glanced up from his omni-tool, his eyes partially blinded as he glanced about the room, looking for the comm panel. He rubbed his eyes, taking away some of the blindness as his vision began returning to normal.

"Alright, Joker, keep me posted."

The comm crackled, and Joker logged off. He glanced down at the screen his omni-tool projected. It was supposedly a picture of a quarian, but it looked too unrealistic to be anything at all. He glanced at the top of the screen and saw it was currently 0910. He sighed, and closed his omni-tool. He had basically gotten nothing from his search, and eventually looked up other things about quarians, eventually ending with what they looked like. The fact that everyone had different ideas made him want to know how Tali looked even more. He would probably be one of the few people to see an actual quarian face.

And it wouldn't matter what she looked like. Shepard didn't love her for her looks, but for who she was. _Besides, it's more exciting this way. Now it's a surprise._ He stood up, and walked out of the cabin, heading towards the kitchen. He brought out a glass, and filled it up with water. He took a big gulp, nearly emptying the glass, and refilled it. He brought it back to his cabin, and sat down, bringing up the bio of the planet Feros.

It was currently owned by ExoGeni, a major corporate company. Apparently, they helped establish the colony here, and set up a headquarters on one of the prothean towers that littered the area. The colony only consisted of a few hundred people, and more in the ExoGeni headquarters. The planet has a good climate, so there was to be no need for helmets here. If there were geth though, a helmet would be a good idea.

He sighed as he put down the datapad that contained the bio of Feros. He hated the geth. They were by far the toughest enemy he had ever fought with. He would wager the mission on Therum was tougher than the Skyllian Blitz, the pirate raid of Elysium he held off. As Shepard thought about the geth, he realized he hated more than the geth, he hated AI in general. They were always brutal, and had no regard for morality.

He pushed aside these unpleasant thoughts, and yawned tiredly. He sat back in his chair, and brought his omni-tool up, assigning an alarm clock to wake him up in two hours. He relaxed in his chair, and fell into a quick nap, snoring softly.

* * *

Shepard woke with a start as a loud ringing noise filled his conscience. He had to resist an urge to draw the knife still strapped to his thigh, as it was only his alarm. He relaxed his body, which had been taut and ready for battle. He stood up, and walked up a short distance to his desk. He palmed a button, and a connection opened up between his cabin and the cockpit.

"Joker, where are we?"

"We just entered the Theseus System, Commander. Should be at Feros in a couple of minutes."

"Good. Keep your eyes peeled for the geth."

"Always do." Joker's voice was sarcastic in his reply.

Shepard released the button, and the connection was severed. He walked out of his cabin, heading for his locker. As he opened it up, an uneasy feeling that someone was watching him hit him. He turned around, and scanned the area, seeing Liara watching him from the mess hall table. He locked eyes with her for a second, and nodded to her.

"Liara. How are you feeling?"

She nodded fractionally, a small smile touching her lips.

"I'm fine, Shepard. Are you expecting trouble?"

Shepard began to withdraw his armor pieces from the locker, and unstrapped the holster for his blade from his thigh.

"Yeah, geth sightings here are high, and it's better to be prepared than caught off guard."

Liara nodded slowly, seeing the wisdom in it.

"Shepard can I ask you something, if you don't mind?"

Shepard stopped pulling his armor on, and looked up at Liara with a smile.

"Sure, feel free to ask me anything at any time."

Liara hesitated before speaking.

"Shepard, what is Saren after?"

Shepard paused in his armor fitting, before resuming quickly.

"I think he's trying to bring back the Reapers, the ones who wiped out the Protheans 50,000 years ago."

Liara widened her eyes as Shepard spoke. She had heard many theories on why the Protheans disappeared, but this one was new. However, it made sense.

"Yes, I could see how that makes sense. Nearly everything prothean was destroyed. But how do you know this?"

"I saw it through a beacon on Eden Prime."

Liara gasped loudly at this.

"You found a working prothean beacon? And you interacted with it? But how? They are tuend to Prothean physiology, the transaction should have killed you!"

Shepard paused as Liara stopped talking, and glanced up to see her staring at him with… intrigue? Desire? He didn't know, but it made him feel uneasy. He finished strapping on the last bit of his armor, the breastplate, and began pulling his weapons out.

"Commander, you must be remarkably strong-willed to have survived it. Do you think I could perhaps mind meld with you, and see these visions for myself?"

Shepard stopped, his arms carry a load of guns. He placed them of the ground carefully, and measured his words as he replied.

"Mind meld? You want to connect our minds?"

Liara nodded her head eagerly.

"Yes, Commander, I would love to see these visions for myself! Your theory is unlike any other, and yet is has the most solid proof!"

Shepard hesitated, and spoke cautiously.

"How would you go about doing this? And would you be able to explore my mind? All of it?"

Liara nodded, disregarding his hesitation because she was overcome with excitement.

"Yes, I could, but I would only focus on your visions."

"Have you done this before?"

"No, but-"

"So you could involuntarily stray into other parts of my mind?"

Liara frowned slightly.

"Yes, but I assure you, Commander-"

Shepard put a hand up, silencing her. His voice was strong with conviction when he spoke.

"No, I won't have you inside my head. That is a place only meant for me and me alone. Research some more about this mind meld. Once you are confident enough that you won't stray from the visions and explore other parts of my mind, then maybe."

Liara held a disappointed look on her face, but Shepard would not budge on this. His mind was a sanctuary, and he would not allow anyone to enter without permission.

"I… Of course, Commander. I will do some research on the mind melding process."

She rose stiffly from her seat, and walked into the medbay. Shepard watched her go, and sighed. _I hope I wasn't harsh in saying what I said. But my mind is a place only for me._ He looked down at the pile of guns on front on him, and knelt down to pick them up.

Shepard's omni-tool chimed, and he opened it up, revealing Joker.

"Commander! We're entering Feros under stealth. I'm getting geth signatures, but I don't see them. You better get a team together. Something is definitely off here."

Joker cut off the channel, and Shepard picked up his weapons, holstering them. He strapped his blade on, and walked towards the cargo bay elevator, already having picked out his squad. He brought up his omni-tool, and commed both of them at the same time.

"Garrus, Tali, get ready, we're going down on Feros."

"Will do, Shepard."

Garrus disconnected, but Tali remained connected.

"You're bringing me along?"

Shepard nodded.

"I know, you took a bad hit on Therum, and now you expect me to think less of you. But I don't. He was a krogan battlemaster, and a tough one at that. And besides, you recovered from it. If I don't bring you on missions, how will you get to blow up geth?"

Tali laughed softly.

"You always know what to say."

Shepard smiled at her.

"Well, not always."

Shepard's smiled faded away, and he looked at Tali with concern.

"Just promise me you won't do anything risky."

Tali locked eyes with Shepard, and promised wholly.

"I promise, Aaron."

Shepard smiled lovingly at her, and reverted back to his normal tone.

"Good, now go get ready. We have some geth to kill."

* * *

**A/N **

**Therum and Citadel visit is in the past, onward to Feros! **

**Review.**

**Keelah Se'lai.**


	21. Chapter 20: Feros: Zhu's Hope

**A/N**

**Oh boy, you get to read my terrible action sequences… Hopefully I don't screw it up too bad.**

* * *

_Chapter 20: Feros: Zhu's Hope_

"Alright Joker, land at the spaceport of Zhu's Hope. Hopefully these colonists can shed some light of the situation."

"Aye aye, Commander."

Shepard closed the channel, and stepped into the airlock, Garrus and Tali flanking him. Several minutes passed by as they waited for the _Normandy _dock in the colony's space port, until Joker's voice rang out through their helmet comm channels.

"She's docked, Commander. I'm still seeing geth signatures, so stay sharp out there."

"Copy that, Joker."

The decon unit began its cleaning cycle, and Shepard and his squad prepped for immediate combat. As the cycle finished, the door unlocked, revealing a docking port connected with the Normandy. Shepard stepped out first, leading the way with his AR drawn. Tali followed closely, her shotgun held loosely, and Garrus brought up the rear with his SR.

As they reached the dock, a long path extended to their right, no doubt leading to the colony. Crates littered the pathway haphazardly, but most of them kept to the sides. A lone human was standing about halfway, hurriedly gesturing them to approach. Shepard lowered his rifle, and walked over to the sole colonist.

As they approached, the colonist spoke. His voice was deep, but held an undercurrent of fear.

"We saw your ship. Fai Dan want's to speak with you immediately."

"Who's Fai Dan?"

The colonist hesitated as he spoke.

"He's… our leader. He needs your help to… prepare for the geth."

Shepard frowned thoughtfully. _I should have come sooner. These geth are probably slaughtering these colonists._

"Ok, I'll see if I can help. Where can I find him?"

The colonist began speaking, giving directions to this Fai Dan.

"Head up the stairs and go past the freighter. Please, we need your-" The colonist didn't get to finish his sentence. A bullet pierced through his head, splattering blood against most of the crew. His eyes went slack, and he fell to his knees, dead as a door nail. Shepard was initially surprised, but his combat instinct kicked in, and he immediately dove behind cover. Rounds began flying overhead, as Garrus and Tali sought cover seconds after. Shepard spied around the corner to see who their attackers were.

He spotted several geth, including a shock trooper and a pyro trooper. Shepard mentally marked their locations, and focused on it alone. As he waited for the gunfire to subside, he brought himself out of cover, and fired at the mental image in his head. The geth he had picked out dropped, white fluid spurting from its flashlight head.

As he brought himself back down into cover, the suppressive fire resumed, and he glanced over to Tali and Garrus. Garrus was desperately trying to get a shot off, but the area was too hot to take a shot. Tali was hunched over, working furiously over her omni-tool. Suddenly, the rounds shifted, no longer firing at them. Shepard glanced over and saw Tali had hacked the geth pyro, forcing it to attack the other geth. As the geth attacked their own, Shepard and Garrus added their own bullets into the crossfire. The remaining geth were decimated, and the pyro unit self-destruct on Tali's command.

Shepard waited a few seconds longer, to make sure there were no more, before finally moving out from behind his cover. Tali and Garrus followed, cautiously watching for any outside movement. The path looped around the _Normandy,_ until they entered a stone doorway, with a short catwalk leading into a large tower. As they entered, a slight sound was heard, and geth 'language' was heard.

A small white shape suddenly darted out from its place on the wall, landing on the opposite wall. It was another geth hopper, but this one was different. As the geth 'talked', Everyone's radar suddenly became scrambled, and they lost track of the hopper on their radars. Tali and Garrus seemed a little frantic at the feeling of being effectively blind, by Shepard just turned his radar off, peering carefully over the area. Several pillars inside the tower blocked a lot of viewpoints, so the hopper could only jump to a few places in order to fire at them. More geth chatter was heard, and a white flash appeared, before disappearing behind another pillar. Shepard marked down the next possible areas for it to jump, and ordered Tali and Garrus to watch two other areas, while he watched the other. They raised their guns, poised to fire, waiting for the geth to make a move.

The geth chattered once more, and it jumped. Shepard tensed, ready to pull the trigger, but it didn't jump to his area. Instead, a shotgun blast resounded, and the sound of broken metal hitting stone was heard. He glanced over to Tali, and saw a slight wisp of smoke leaving the barrel of her shotgun. Shepard smiled at Tali, and lowered his rifle. He glanced about the tower, and began taking steps up the staircase. It circled around the tower several times, and several more geth hoppers popped out. They dealt with them with relative ease, and continued climbing the tower.

* * *

Finally, they came to an area where the stairs continued no more, replaced by a grid of metal bars. A small hallway ran to their left, and some sunlight was seen flowing onto the corner of the hall. Shepard walked over, and rounded the corner, finger on the trigger. However, there were no geth aiming at him. Instead, it was the remaining colonists of Zhu's Hope. Shepard put up his rifle, and holstered it, motioning for Tali and Garrus to do the same.

The nervous colonists recognized the figures as humans, and lowered their rifles, their faces streaked with dirt, and their clothing caked with sweat. They were obviously extremely tired, but there were so few of them they couldn't afford to rest of they wanted to survive. As Shepard passed them, he offered them words of encouragement, in which they responded with weak smiles and nods of gratitude.

The colony was small, in the highest extremity of the word. It consisted of no more than 6 prefabs, and there were barely 30 colonists. A large freighter was parked in the middle of the colony, and was apparently completely capable. Confused, Shepard began to ponder why they a perfectly good freighter is just resting in the middle of the colony. He pushed the thought aside, and began to think of ways to help the colonists as he looked for Fai Dan. _The men defending this colony are hard-pressed as it is. I could have Kaidan, Ashley, Wrex, and Liara run defense for them while we go deal with the geth. _

However, he didn't have the time to call up the _Normandy, _because as he rounded a prefab at the farside of the colony, he saw a couple, a man and woman, standing near a large standing wall of stone. As he approached, the man, who he assumed was Fai Dan, turned to face him, a tired expression on his face.

He was short, and was no longer young and youthful, but he was no old man either. His expression was one of deep exhaustion, but he put on a brave face for the Commander. His voice made Shepard think of a weasel, an old Earth mammal.

"Ah, Commander! I'm glad they finally sent someone to help us!"

The woman next to him scoffed, and spoke with a little bit of venom.

"You're a bit late, aren't you?"

Fai Dan turned to the woman, his voice changing to a tone that a father would chide with son with.

"Arcelia!"

He turned back to the Commander, an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry, Commander, everyone's on edge since-"

Geth chatter interrupted Fai Dan, originating from the tower just behind them. Footsteps were heard, and Shepard drew his rifle, Garrus, Tali, and the woman Arcelia mimicking. Shepard took cover behind the large stone wall, and peeked around the corner. He spotted two geth just inside the door frame, and about to step out. He whipped his rifle about, and unloaded, burying them under a hail of bullets.

Both of the geth crumpled to the ground, their bodies mangled and that white fluid staining the ground. More geth chatter resounded out from the tower, followed by two separate tones of gunfire, indicating there were also humans in the tower. Shepard immediately took off into the tower, Tali and Garrus following, taking a short jump over the two geth corpses that were littered just inside the door. As they entered, the sounds of battle became clearer, and it came from higher up. Shepard took the steps two at a time, but remained ready for combat at a moment's notice. As he bounded up, he suddenly bumped straight into a geth unit, they both began to raise their rifles, but before either one could fire, its flashlight extinguished, put out by a well-placed round by Garrus. Shepard turned back to see Garrus lowering his SR, the tip of the barrel glowing orange. He nodded his thanks to Garrus, and took the corners slowly, despite the urge to make sure he made it to save the other colonists in the tower. As he reached the top, he saw two colonists holed up behind a fallen stone pillar, their backs against the wall. Geth fire was coming from outside the main tower, entering through a doorway. The colonists were ducked behind the pillar, too afraid to retaliate. Shepard jumped up to the side of the doorway, and spotted two geth a few feet in front on him. The two geth stopped their suppressive fire, and a figure darted past Shepard, followed by two resounding gunshots.

Tali hit the other side of the doorway roughly, but unharmed. She peered around the corner, and saw the two geth she had fired at mangled, the buckshot from her shotgun practically shredding them. Shepard gave her a stern look.

"That was more than a little dangerous."

Tali shrugged.

"I got them, didn't I?"

Shepard wanted to argue with her, to tell her that she was being to reckless, but he couldn't. The militaristic nature in him told her she had done everything right. The geth had a lull in their fire, and she took the opportunity. Shepard realized his silence was beginning to drag out, and brought the butt of his rifle to his shoulder, grumbling softly as he stepped through the doorway.

He was in a hallway of sorts, a doorway leading into a large curved room directly to his right. The hallway extended in front of him, leading to some other part of the tower. A few feet on the opposite wall of the doorway, an elevator stood, leading to the garage.

He stepped inside the large curved room, and saw that most of the ceiling was blown wide open. Suddenly, a large purple shape flew into view. It was a geth dropship, delivering a brand new batch of geth to attack the colonists. As it passed over, it slowed down, dropping a squad of geth. Shepard and his squad dashed into cover, and prepared themselves for a long fight.

* * *

"The tower's secure, thanks to you Commander."

Shepard and his squad had just returned from their long battle with the dropped geth. Shepard fared better than Garrus and Tali, as he was used to prolonged fighting, but the other two were both still winded. However, they were recovering quickly, becoming more accustomed to combat situations.

Shepard replied to Fai Dan.

"I'm just glad I could help keep your colony safe."

Fai Dan nodded with a small smile.

"I appreciate your concern and your efforts against the geth."

Arcelia spoke up, bringing foreboding news with it.

"They may have been slowed, but they'll be back. They always come back."

Shepard turned to the woman, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Help me find what the geth are after, and all of you can get out of here alive."

Fai Dan spoke up.

"We don't know what they're after, they came, they attacked us, that's all we know. However, we do know that their main base is at the ExoGeni Headquarters. A good place to start looking if you want answers."

Shepard nodded thoughtfully, and decided he wanted to know more about this ExoGeni company.

"Tell me about this ExoGeni."

Arcelia spoke again.

"It's the company most of us worked for before the attacks. They funded this colony. You can reach it by the skyway, you can't miss it."

Fai Dan continued after Arcelia.

"Only problem is, there's an army of geth between here and there."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at both of them.

"I didn't expect this to be easy. Don't worry, I came prepared."

Fai Dan spoke with some exasperation in his voice.

"Maybe then I could get this colony up and running again."

Shepard nodded, and remembered his earlier idea.

"Fai, I have some extra crew members on board my ship. I would be willing to offer them to help your colony while I go deal with the geth."

Fai Dan had a surprised look on his face.

"Really? I mean, I could definitely use the help, but are you sure you don't need them?"

"Yeah, I have all the crew I need to fight the geth."

Fai Dan looked apprehensively at Garrus and Tali, unsure if the Commander was completely sane only bringing two people with him to fight an army.

"Well, if you're certain, Commander, then by all means, bring them. And thank you for your help."\

"It's my pleasure, sir."

Shepard turned away from Fai Dan, and walked over to an empty area where no colonists were. Tali and Garrus followed him, and Shepard took a seat on one of the many broken pieces of masonry lying about. He brought out his omni-tool and opened a comm channel with Joker.

"Hey Commander, everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I need you to connect me with the Wrex, Liara, Kaidan, and Ashley."

"Sounds like everything is not fine."

Shepard smiled down at Joker, whose face was apprehensive.

"It's fine, I just want them to run defense for the colony while Garrus, Tali and I go blow up some geth."

"Alright, Commander, just don't die. You and Anderson are the only CO's i actually like."

Joker disconnected, and Shepard's screen broadened until all four of the other members of his ground team were connected with him.

"Ok, listen up you four. I want you down here helping the colony in what ways you can, be that helping them drive out local geth, or restoring some of their power, I don't care, you do it."

Wrex let out an unpleasant sound, but Kaidan, Ashley and Liara all seemed willing to help out the struggling colony.

"Good, Kaidan will be in charge, considering he is the highest ranking Alliance member. I expect you guys to follow his orders. This is mostly directed at Wrex, and if you don't follow his orders, I'll punch you in the face."

Wrex narrowed his eyes at Shepard, and Shepard cocked an eyebrow back, waiting for him to comply. Wrex harrumphed noisily, the hints of a smile tugging at his face.

"Heh, you just might be half-krogan, Shepard. Alright, I'll play along and listen."

"Good. Now get down here."

A chorus of voices sounded out, each one agreeing to help out the colony. Shepard disconnected, and looked back to Garrus and Tali. Garrus seemed somewhat agitated, but Tali was as calm as a still pond.

"Commander, are you sure you don't want to bring someone else along? I mean they did say an army of geth was between here and there. And are we just walking there?"

Shepard shrugged, and placed his hands behind him, leaning on them.

"I don't know Garrus, I just kind of go with the flow. We can't really get the Mako out of the _Normandy_ because I don't see enough room for a drop. With luck, maybe they will have a vehicle we can take, and if we're super lucky, they might even have a Mako."

Garrus opened his mouth again, Shepard's plan not sitting very well with him, but Tali interrupted.

"Come now, Garrus, since joining with Shepard, have you heard him formulate one plan?"

Garrus pondered thoughtfully, thinking about any time Shepard had a battle plan concocted. As he searched his memory, he could not find one instance where Shepard discussed a full plan with them. He dished out orders, but never had a plan before combat ensued.

"No, I can't say I have."

Shepard had a hurt look on his face.

"Hey, I can form plans just as easily as not form one. I just prefer not forming one."

Tali rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"I'm surprised you even lasted this long without having a plan."

Shepard smiled at her and spread his arms out wide.

"What can I say? I'm pretty awesome."

Tali shook her head slowly, and Garrus looked between both of them.

"Y'know, Shepard told me about you two."

Tali immediately felt a pit form in her stomach, and she glared needles at Shepard.

"You. Did. WHAT?"

Shepard immediately put his hands up in defense, speaking hastily.

"Hey, now, you didn't let him finish. I told him how I felt about you while we were on the way to the Citadel after Therum. I had to, he was upset at how I acted out, and I needed to apologize to him. Besides, he's like my best friend. He probably deserves to know."

Tali's anger and embarrassment subsided, and she breathed out.

"Fine, but I'm still angry with you."

"About?"

"I don't know, I'll figure it out later."

Shepard sighed, and glared accusingly at Garrus.

"You see what you got me into now?"

Garrus shrugged apologetically.

"Sorry Shepard."

"Man, I need to get some alcohol on my ship."

Garrus suddenly nodded empathetically.

"I agree. Get some Dextro alcohol too."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you liked drinking that much."

Garrus scoffed lightly, and planted the barrel of his rifle on the ground, using the butt end as an armrest.

"That's because there's no bar on the ship."

Shepard laughed heartily.

"Maybe I can get a bar requisitioned. Get some Turian liquor, Asari wine, human beer…"

Tali let out an exasperated noise.

"Ugh. Men. In case you forgot, we're still on a mission here."

Tali waggled her shotgun back and forth, and Shepard nodded quickly.

"Right, you heard the lady, let's move out Garrus."

Shepard stood up, and walked off towards the elevator they had seen earlier. Tali followed after them, and Garrus closed the distance between himself and Shepard, and whispered softly so Tali couldn't hear.

"Great, now I'm taking orders from your girlfriend. See what you got ME into?"

Shepard just chuckled softly, and entered the tower. Despite his current occupation, despite the galaxy at risk, despite the imminent danger they were in, Shepard felt that his life was finally looking up.

* * *

**A/N **

**Done, next should be the Prothean Skyway/ExoGeni. That should be fun. I wonder if anything interesting will happen in the next chapter.**

**Review, Keelah Se'lai.**


	22. Chapter 21: Feros: ExoGeni HQ

**A/N **

**My mind is going insane right now, I'm thinking about chapters months away, chapters for ME2 and ME3, and possible ME1-ME2 chapters. It's driving me insane. I might start uploading more at a time.**

* * *

_Chapter 21: Feros: ExoGeni HQ_

"Aha! See how extremely lucky we are?"

"Spirits be damned, they have a Mako."

Shepard and his squad of Dextros, Tali and Garrus, were standing in a garage leading out into the prothean skyway. The garage was practically empty, with a few colonists set up behind makeshift barriers near the elevator. A slope created two separate floors, a high ground and the road. Down on the road, backed up against the wall, was a Mako.

They were standing at the top of the slope, staring down at their extreme fortune. Shepard clapped a hand on Garrus, and gave him a broad grin.

"See? Just go with the flow, things usually work out."

Garrus shook his head.

"I don't get how things work out so well for you."

Tali shrugged, and replied noncommittally.

"No one does."

Shepard took off down the slope, not bother to reply. As he reached the Mako's hatch, he popped it open and climbed in, followed by Garrus and Tali. The Mako looked the exact same as their own, but it lacked the modifications Garrus had made. Everyone took their usual seats, with Garrus as gunner, Tali in the co-pilot, and Shepard driving.

Shepard activated the driver interface, and grinned boyishly as the Mako purred and hummed to life. He checked to make sure Garrus and Tali were situated, before setting off down towards the open door of the garage. As they roared out, they propelled out into a massive sky bridge, floating high up above the surface of the planet. The bridge was long, and very wide, with a high ground slope, and a low road. A massive tower was looming in front of them, and beyond that the tower that held the ExoGeni headquarters.

As Shepard began tearing down the track, a dull roaring sound echoed about, and a geth dropship zipped by overhead, dropping off geth units on the bridge before flying off towards the ExoGeni HQ, and latching onto the side of the building. The bridge began to incline slightly, until they could no longer see the road, only the sky. As they broached the top, a hail of gunfire poured out at them, but luckily none of them were siege pulses, so there were no geth armatures or colossi.

As the Mako finally landed down on all six wheels, they saw a platoon of geth, shock troopers, and rocket troopers. There was at least a dozen of them, so they still posed a threat. Shepard spun the wheel on the Mako, swerving it back and forth across the road, as Garrus began to mow down the geth. Tali began working quickly to bolster their shields, just in case the geth proved too much.

Slowly, the platoon was wiped out, about 4 minutes after they had reared over the incline. Their shields were at 53%, but still nothing too critical. Garrus was working on cooling down the weapons, and Shepard monitored his scanner for any other geth signatures. A couple of red blips were noticed about 300m away, and he waited patiently for their shields to reach 100% before taking off down the road again.

This time, the ground was level ,and they had a clear view of the geth waiting for them this time. It was two geth armatures, one of the high ground, the other on the low. They both began to fire hails of rounds, interrupted by larger siege pulses. Shepard couldn't avoid all of the small rounds, but he could dodge the siege pulses. He swerved left and right to avoid one and then the other, before pushing the Mako to greater speeds.

The Mako was closing rapidly with the armature, and the geth began to charge a siege pulse. As the Mako was a few meters away, it reared back, mere moments from firing, before the Mako collided with it at full speed, crumbling it to the ground. The Mako rolled over it, the sound of crushing metal reaching their muffled compartment inside. Garrus continued to pepper the other armature while Shepard buried the other underneath their vehicle.

Eventually, the armature they were parked on stopped moving altogether, its systems shutting down. However, the legs became entangled, and the Mako was temporarily ensnared. The geth began to charge another siege pulse, as the small rounds of the secondary gun blasted against its shields. Suddenly, the sound of bullets hitting its shields faded, replaced by the sound of bullets on metal. Garrus primed the main cannon, and fired, aiming it at the large flashlight on its head.

The shot exploded, and the top half of the geth blew off, completely mutilated. It stood stock still for a second, before it slowly toppled over on its side, completely inert. Shepard began to press into the gas, the tires squealing as they rubbed against the crushed metal. Eventually, the Mako jerked free, leaving behind the remnant of the near flattened armature.

Shepard glanced around the room, checking with each one to make sure everyone was set and ready to go. As he saw everyone good to go, he pressed into the gas again, and took off down the road again. They entered into the tower, and were forced to a halt. Their path was blocked by a massive pile of rubble and a destroyed vehicle that resembled a Grizzly.

Shepard let out an exasperated sigh, and slid out of his chair, opening the hatch of the Mako and stepping out. As he stepped out, he began to observe his surroundings. Directly in front of him was a large ramp way that spiraled up, large enough to drive a Mako up and around it. To his far left, but still within the tower, was another ramp, but this one leading down, to somewhere else. A slight sound was heard, but it became obscured as Garrus and Tali began to step out of the Mako.

Garrus landed heavily on the floor, interrupting Shepard's concentrated hearing. Shepard turned around to face him, an accusing glare fixated on him. Garrus was perplexed, and was about to open his mouth to speak when Shepard put a finger to his lips, telling him to be silent. Tali exited much more lightly, stepping down with the tips of her toes, and slowly easing her feet down into the ground. As she fully placed herself on the floor, she walked up next to Shepard, bringing her audio to a higher volume, and began to pick up the chatter of other people, humans most likely.

She glanced at Shepard, who was still listening intently, and muted herself, connecting her personal comm with Shepard's.

"I hear voices, Shepard, and they sound human. It might be risky to go see them..."

Shepard hesitated slightly, before taking off towards the downward ramp. When he replied, he did not bother replying directly back to Tali, instead replying to the group as a whole.

"There's always a risk to these things, but battles and wars are never won without taking risks."

Tali took off after Shepard, a few steps behind him. Garrus was still a bit confused at what just happened, but it clicked in his head Tali must have been speaking with him privately, and jogged lightly to catch up with them. As they reached the top of the ramp, a couple of floodlights lit the slope, and a large room was seen at the bottom. Some haphazard barricades were set up down at the bottom, and there were armed defenders there, but they had their backs turned to them. The voices were much clearer now, with one distinct female voice, and a male voice.

As they walked down the ramp, their footsteps alerted the people to their presence, and those armed drew weapons. A group of containers and boxes blocked their view of whoever the two people who were arguing were, and as they rounded it, they saw the man had a drawn pistol, and the woman had a fearful look on her face.

Shepard raised his hands to show he was unarmed and stepped forward slowly. The woman let out a sigh of relief, and a smile spread across her face. The man however, still had his pistol leveled at Shepard. The man seemed of Asian descent, and was thin and wily. His face was tight, but it was also fearful. His hand shook slightly with the pistol, almost indiscernible to the regular person. Shepard, Tali and Garrus, all judged the man at the same time: one who needed to be kept an eye on. The woman, however, was a different story. She had brown hair, showing signs of greying, and her face was creased with wrinkles. She was no threat to them, and could even prove helpful.

As Shepard approached closer to the two, the man spoke out hurriedly.

"That's close enough!"

The woman scowled slightly, and chided the man.

"Relax, Jeong, their obviously not geth."

The man lowered the gun, but still remained hostile.

"Get back, Juliana. Who are you? What do you want?"

Shepard looked cautiously at the Jeong, who was clearly on edge, and spoke carefully.

"Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy and Council Spectre. I'm here to fix your geth problem."

The man scoffed, and raised his pistol up to Shepard again.

"Lies, the Council wouldn't send a Spectre just for one colony of a few hundred. Who are you?"

The woman, Juliana, let out an exasperated sigh, and lowered Jeong's arms for him.

"You need to calm down, Ethan; the man said he's here to take care of the geth. Does it matter who he is with at this point?"

Ethan gave Juliana an indignant look.

"Of course it matters! I'm the highest ranking official of ExoGeni left, and it's my job to make sure it's interests remain disclosed."

The woman let out a noise of frustration, and turned back to Shepard.

"Ignore him, all he cares about is 'the company.'"

Ethan turned to Juliana with a scornful look.

"And you trust too easily, Juliana."

Juliana ignored Ethan, and smiled at Shepard.

"I'm just glad to see a friendly face. I thought we were the only humans left on the planet."

Shepard shook his head, and nodded back out towards the ramp.

"No, some colonists of Zhu's Hope are still alive. I left some of my squad behind to help them."

Juliana seemed pleasantly surprised by this, but quickly turned to Ethan with a suspicious glare.

"I thought you said they were all dead."

He shrugged noncommittally.

"I said they were "probably" all dead."

Shepard narrowed his eyes at the man. He definitely did not like this man or the tone he used. Tali and Garrus both shared their feelings toward the man; the clear disregard for other human lives automatically made him extremely distasteful. However, Garrus took the opportunity to speak.

"They're not dead, But the geth are pounding them hard."

Juliana nodded tiredly with Garrus's statement.

"We know what that's like. Those damn synthetics are relentless."

Shepard took this opportunity to get some information out of them.

"Fai Dan told us they were holed up in the ExoGeni HQ. Do you know if we're heading the right direction, and how much farther?"

"Yeah, you're almost there. It's just a bit further down the highway."

Ethan took his chance, and interjected rudely.

"Those headquarters are private property, _soldier_. Clear out the geth and nothing else."

Shepard was fed up with this man's attitude. He glowered darkly at the man, his hands curling into fists, and spoke threateningly.

"Watch your tone, Mr. Jeong. I'm a Spectre, and I don't take orders from you. If I find something about your company that is less than pleasant, you can be damn well sure I will confiscate it."

Ethan stepped forward angrily towards Shepard, a finger pointed at his face.

"You can't just talk to me like that! I am-"

"You are going to be a man behind bars if you continue this abrasive attitude of yours."

Ethan glared lances of hate at Shepard, but backed off, grumbling angrily. Juliana watched the exchange with interest, and was vaguely curious if the Commander was going to follow up on that. However, there was something else the Commander could possibly with another situation.

"Commander, before you go… My daughter, Lizbeth. She's missing…"

Ethan was in a bitter mood, and it reflected in his reply.

"They shouldn't waste time poking around for one person. We can take a list of casualties after this whole ordeal is over."

Juliana turned abruptly towards the man, her voice filled with motherly anger and concern.

"That's my daughter you're talking about! She's still alive. I know it."

Shepard glared angrily at the man, and Ethan shrunk away, effectively cowed. He returned his gaze to Juliana, and replied to her.

"Where is your daughter, Juliana?"

She swallowed before replying.

"She was working in the ExoGeni building when the attacks came."

Ethan, the stubborn man he is, decided it would be wise to voice his opinion again.

"Oh yeah! There are plenty of hidey holes for her to use. For a short time."

Shepard sighed, and placed a hand over his eyes.

"Jeong, I am this close to punching you in the face right now. Say one more thing and I will do it."

Ethan immediately clamped his mouth shut, and refrained from speaking his mind again. Shepard turned back to Juliana and gave her a brief smile.

"Don't worry ma'am, if I can, I will bring your daughter back."

Juliana smile gratefully at Shepard.

"Thank you, Commander, thank you."

Shepard and his squad turned to leave, taking steps back up the ramp. Once they were a certain distance away, out of hearing range, Shepard let out a frustrated sigh.

"God, I hate that man."

Tali and Garrus both nodded empathetically, and Tali spoke.

"I was almost hoping he would say something again, just so you could punch him."

"You and me both."

Shepard breathed out his response quietly, and silence reigned until they reached the top of the ramp, exposing the ramp way leading up and the Mako neatly parked. Shepard cracked his fingers, getting a few satisfying pops out of them, before setting off towards the Mako with Tali and Garrus following. As Shepard opened the hatch, he leapt in, and took his spot in the driver seat, Tali and Garrus both in their own respective seats.

Shepard had left the Mako running while he went down to the group of surviviors, so he didn't need to warm up the engine again. As he revved the Mako, he reversed it neatly, and J-turned it to face the ramp, and began to course up and around the ramps, until they finally found themselves at another skyway, this one just above the one they were supposed to take.

In front of them rested the ExoGeni HQ, and just a few meters from the side of the skyway, the geth dropship was latched on. The path was straight for a large portion, until a section of the bring suddenly collapsed, leaving a half broken piece of bridge strewn between the gap, a haphazard crossing. In front of them, a geth squad and an armature were setting up barricades, and readying themselves for a blockade.

Shepard and Team Dextro were in for a long ride.

* * *

_Zhu's Hope_

"Ok, I've asked some of the colonists what they need help with, and I think I got everything. They need a varren alpha killed, they need a replacement battery, and they need their irrigation system working again. I'll be in charge of getting the irrigation system back up, and Liara will be helping me with that. Ashley, you and Wrex get to kill stuff. Make sure you to keep your eyes peeled for anything that could serve as a replacement battery."

Wrex grunted in acknowledgement, and Ashley and Liara both nodded. Kaidan unpacked his rifle, and motioned for everyone else to follow suite. He began walking off towards the tower where Fai Dan and Arcelia were situated, only to find that the area was vacant. This wasn't important or relevant, however, and Kaidan dismissed it. As he walked into the tower, he took the stairway leading down instead of up, and they walked out into a long corridor of sorts, with several walkways separating out into other rooms.

The underbelly of Zhu's Hope.

Kaidan let Wrex take point, followed by Ashley, himself, and Liara last. As they neared the beginning of the long cat walk, their path was blocked by a support. To their immediate left, a small walkway descended downwards fractionally, leading into a side hallway leading back into the main corridor. Kaidan noticed that one of the irrigation system terminals were by the entrance, and called out to Wrex.

"Wrex, keep going on ahead, I'll get to work on this irrigation system. Liara, keep with me."

Wrex nodded, and stepped off towards the other end, Ashley in tow. Liara stood as Kaidan bent low and began working on the terminal. Liara, out of curiousity, began to look over the man in front of her. She had to admit, he was a handsome specimen of the human species. Maybe not as much as Shepard, but still. Liara shook her head, shocked by such childish thoughts and at such a time. She brushed the thoughts aside, and instead decided to keep a constant vigil.

Suddenly, gunfire rang out, the sounds of shotgun blasts and AR fire ringing out in the chasm-like hall. Liara and Kaidan expected this, they were looking for varren afterall, but the return fire that followed after told them they had bigger problems than varren. Geth. Kaidan began working double as fast, eager to be away from the console and helping his squad fight. Liara stood anxiously, still unused to combat.

The pipes behind the terminal suddenly creaked and groaned, and the terminal flashed green, showing everything was up and running again. Kaidan quickly stood up and shouldered his rifle, and took off after Wrex and Ashley, with Liara in tow. They passed by several broken corpses of geth before they came across a split path. The gunfire had subsided since then, and there were no bodies to follow, so he was forced to decide between either going straight, or taking the fork in the path.

Before he could choose, gunfire rang out again, this time coming clearly from fork in the corridor. As he ran down, he dully noticed that Liara was jogging after her, her breathing becoming labored quickly. She was quite unsuited to active combat. They ran down a long hallway, coming into small multi-shaped room. Wrex was standing over the corpse of a dead krogan, with dead geth littered around him. There was even a geth juggernaut lying completely inert on the ground. It was of monstrous size, taller than Wrex, and wider, but it was still brought down somehow. Wrex fired off another shell into the fallen krogan's head, splattering it open, exposing half of its remaining brain. The metallic smell of blood began to permeate the room, and puddles of the liquid stained the stone floor. Wrex holstered his shotgun, and turned to face Kaidan.

"More than just varren down here. There's some type of geth transmitter here. Just say the word, and I'll smash it to bits."

Kaidan stared carefully at Wrex, still trying to judge him. He wasn't as good at reading people and their intentions as Shepard was. Finally he nodded, and Wrex walked over to a geth transmitter tucked away in the corner of the room. He raised a fist and smashed it into the satellite, denting it severely. Several punches later, and the top half flew off from the force of Wrex's fist. As the geth transmitter died, an eerie sound, like the one of a dying computer, filled the room for a split second, before vanishing.

Kaidan gazed about the room, seeing Ashley seated upon a stone pillar, cleaning her rifle with a not-so-clean rag. He glanced behind him, and saw Liara's face a shade paler than before. No doubt this was the first time she has seen vast amounts of blood outside of the body. He turned to her and hesitated, unsure if he should place a hand on her shoulder. He opted out, and just spoke to her.

"Hey, are you okay? You look pale."

Liara nodded her head, but he could tell she was visibly shaken.

"You don't have to lie, Liara. I can tell this is all… new for you. Would you prefer to go back to the _Normandy?_"

Liara shook her head vehemently.

"No, I would rather stay. If I am to be a part of the Commander's crew, I need combat experience."

Kaidan smiled at her and nodded reassuringly.

"It'll take some time to get used to."

Liara nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving the dead krogan's corpse, it's lifeblood spilling out slowly still. Kaidan cleared his throat, and spoke out loud.

"Ok, I managed to get a partial amount of the irrigation system running, but that's it. Wrex, Ashley, since you handled this batch so easily, go on ahead and clear out the rest, plus the varren. I'll stay back here with Liara and get the rest of the system operational."

"Aye aye, LT."

"Hmph."

Wrex and Ashley both stomped/stormed past him, Wrex eager for battle and Ashley playing catchup. He turned to follow them out, and slowly guided Liara away from the grisly scene. She would never forget that moment, where she saw just how much blood was in one person. She would carry that memory until the day she died.

* * *

_ExoGeni HQ_

Shepard lay back in his seat, physically and mentally exhausted. They had just gone through a highway of hell, with geth after geth after geth. They had finally reached the tower, and the entrance into the ExoGeni building lay just in front of them, a massive opening displaying some of the insides of what seems like the remnants of a garage.

Next to him, Tali was mentally and physically taxed, her fingers aching from so much use. Garrus was perspiring slightly, his hands shaking slightly. As Shepard lay back against his seat, he spoke out between breaths of air.

"I say… we take… a quick break…"

Tali raised a hand tiredly.

"Agreed."

Garrus just nodded, and leaned back against his seat taking deep breaths. Several minutes passed by as they recovered from the taxation the skyway had given them. Finally, Shepard reared up from his seat, and stretched out his muscles as best as he could. He stood up, and opened up the hatch, lightly jumping out, and fully stretching out his body now. Tali and Garrus were heard behind him, and he could sense they were stretching their limbs as well.

Shepard finished limbering up himself, and began to walk around the room, pulling out his AR just in case. Team Dextro followed, drawing their respective weapons as well. To their left was an energy field of sorts, and it completely blocked off access to the rest of the building. They began search for any other way in, but could not find one.

Eventually, Shepard found a hole in the floor, leading down to what seemed like a broken road/waterway of sorts. However, the drop made sure it would be a one-way trip. He motioned Tali and Garrus over, who were examining other areas, and showed them their only entrance.

Garrus was apprehensive as he spoke.

"You sure, Shepard? This is a one-way zone."

Shepard shrugged.

"I don't see any other way."

Garrus sighed and nodded. He took a deep breath, and jumped the several meters down. His legs were stronger and more built, so it jolted him lightly. Tali followed suite, inhaling a sharp breath as she landed. She too was also built for it, her legs suited for taking large amounts of toll. As Shepard jumped down, he let out a sharp breath of pain, the jolt rocking his legs until he almost collapsed. Luckily, a gloved three-fingered hand grabbed him before he could stumble, holding him by the bicep.

He glanced over, and muttered his thanks, somewhat abashed.

"Thanks."

"Anything for you." Tali cooed softly in return.

Shepard smiled gratefully at Tali, and began to shake out his legs, getting the buzzy feeling out of them. He glanced up at the opening of the hole, and back down to the path leading further down. Shepard mentally sighed. _Out of the fryin pan, and into the fire._ He shouldered his rifle and took off down the path, with Team Dextro following suit.

* * *

**A/N**

**Ok, so this was supposed to be one part, but I guess what I had in mind was longer than I thought, so this is being split into an extra part for the Feros questline.**

**Review, Keelah Se'lai.**


	23. Chapter 22: Feros: ExoGeni pt 2

**A/N**

**Ideas are still flooding in, but Freedom's Progress is the most common one. So many different ways to approach it, it's hard to choose.**

**This story got added into its first community, yay!**

* * *

_Chapter 22: Feros: ExoGeni pt 2  
_

Shepard and his squad walked out into the large chamber-like area, and spotted a freshly killed varren on the floor a few feet away. They walked over to the corpse to examine it, when a gunshot rang out, and Shepard's shields flared up. Shepard brought his gun about, his finger poised above the trigger, when a female voice cried out.

"Damnit!"

A woman was positioned a foot in front of another hallway, a pistol drawn. As she saw that the trio wasn't geth, she slowly began stepping forward, lowering her gun as she did. She began to speak apologetically.

"I'm so sorry. I thought you were geth, or one of those varren."

Shepard holstered his weapon away, the woman clearly not a threat. He closed the distance between them quickly, speaking as he did.

"It's ok, you're safe now. Why are you even here though?"

The woman sighed exasperatedly, and put a hand to her head.

"Ah, it's my own fault. Everyone else was running and I stayed to back up some data. Next thing I knew the geth ship latched on and the power went out."

She paused briefly, her voice halting and hesitant.

"I was trapped. I tried to get out, but the way was blocked."

"What, you mean by the geth?"

She shook her head slightly.

"No, it's not the geth, it's this energy field they set up. They don't want anyone else getting access to the-"

She suddenly cut off, and became very interested in her hands. Shepard narrowed his eyes at her, and spoke carefully.

"Get access to what?"

The woman bit her lip slightly, and spoke cautiously.

"I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing they're here for the Thorian."

Tali spoke up at this point.

"What's a Thorian?"

"It's an indigenous life form. ExoGeni was studying it."

Shepard cupped his chin and frowned thoughtfully.

"Why? What properties does it have that make it a worthwhile study?"

She hesitated once more.

"I might be able to tell you, but I can't, not with those geth crawling around everywhere. Look, we need to get out of here, and past that energy field."

Shepard stared hard at the woman, and she glanced away, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"Hmm… Fine. Any suggestions on how to turn it off?"

"Um… No not exactly. I think the geth ship might be powering it. I noticed the geth laying power cables everywhere. You could follow them, but it would lead you straight to them."

Shepard cracked a smile at the woman, and gestured back to Tali and Garrus.

"Yeah, that's kind of why we're here; to blow up some geth. Before I go though, I assume your Lizbeth Baynham?"

The woman gave him a surprised look.

"Yes, I am. How did-"

Shepard put a hand up to stop her from continuing.

"Your mother asked me to look for you while I was here. I'll get you to here after I finish up here, but I expect answers about this Thorian creature."

Lizbeth nodded her head.

"Of course, I'll tell you everything I know once you cut off that energy field. Here, before you go, take my employee card. It might help you get into places you wouldn't be able to without it."

She proffered out a small card with her picture on it, and Shepard took it, looping it around his wrist until it was snug and secure. He spoke to Lizbeth again, turning around to observe the area and look for a hallway leading out.

"You might want to stay hidden until I get the energy field down."

As Lizbeth was replying, he spotted a door frame on the other side of the chamber, framed by something on fire.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that."

He was already jogging off into that direction, and didn't bother checking behind him. Halfway to the door, a vicious snarl was heard, followed by an echoing howl. A pack of varren emerged from hiding holes all around, and a varren alpha was perched several meters in front of him, positioned on a large boulder. It snarled angrily, and Shepard slowly raised his rifle until it was level with the beast.

He locked eyes with the varren, staring it down. Its snarl died down, and it backed off, not wanting to risk attacking and dying. The pack of varren slowly slid back into the darkness, and the echoing howls and snarls faded away. Shepard lowered his rifle, but didn't holster it. he began to jog back towards the door, when a Garrus called out to him.

"Didn't know you could control animals, Shepard."

Shepard just grunted, and replied shortly.

"I can't. I just showed them no fear. They prey on weak. I showed them I wasn't weak."

Tali glanced at Shepard, her amazement with him increasing every day.

"Are you sure you aren't like, a super human?"

He chuckled softly.

"Nope, I'm just a regular human."

A pile of rubble was blocking their path, and they climbed over it, revealing the doorway behind it. They landed heavily on the now level floor, and stepped through the door frame. A short ramp leading higher up filled up almost the entirety of the small room, and as Shepard took a step onto the ramp, a deep voice bellowed out angrily.

"Stupid machine! Access encrypted files!"

It was a krogan voice, the unmistakable baritone all krogans have. As he walked cautiously up the ramp, the voice rang out again.

"No, I don't want to review protocol!"

Shepard couldn't help the grin that split his face, and he had barely enough restraint to not laugh out loud. The ramp up ended, and a long corridor was revealed, with a krogan commander standing in front of a VI terminal. This time, he heard the VI speak.

"I am unable to comply. Please contact your supervisor."

The krogan stepped angrily towards the machine, raising a huge fist in front of it.

"Damn it. Tell me what I want to know or I'll blast your virtual ass into actual dust!"

Shepard shook his shoulders with silent mirth, and glanced behind him to see Tali and Garrus giving him odd looks. He just shrugged, and lowered his rifle, bringing his knife out slowly, as to not alert the krogan. It swished out softly, and Shepard began to quietly step towards the krogan. The VI began speaking again, helping Shepard mask his footsteps.

"Please contact your supervisor for a Level 4 security exemption or make an appointment with-"

The krogan groaned frustratingly, and threw his hands up in the air.

"Stupid machine!"

Shepard reversed his grip on the knife, the blade pointing backwards now, and crouched down low, ready to leap at the krogan and place the blade through him. The VI spoke again.

"If there is nothing else, please step aside. There is a queue forming behind you for the use of this console."

The krogan stared confused at the VI, before turning around, a perplexed tone in his voice.

"Wha-"

He didn't get to finish. Shepard plunged the knife deep into the krogan's eye, and he roared in pain, one hand immediately going to clutch his eye. As soon as he pierced it, he ripped the blade out, and brought it higher up, placing it where the human temple would be, just under the krogan's massive headplate. Shepard forced the knife all the way across, splitting the krogan's headplate clean off, and exposing its brain. He collapsed on the ground, deader than a stone. The krogan fell to its knees, blood leaking out, and it toppled forward, and Shepard had to step to the side. He landed with a soft thud, and half the brain was hanging out from its open cranium.

Shepard glanced at his handiwork with grim satisfaction and a little bit of grossness. He looked down at his blade, covered in the dark orange blood of krogan, and he began to wipe it off on his leg. He glanced back towards Garrus and Tali, who gave him looks he couldn't quite place.

"What?"

Garrus just shrugged, and gazed off. Tali approached him, and softly placed a hand on his arm.

"That was a bit… brutal. Are you feeling alright?"

Shepard gave her a curious look, and replied.

"Yeah, I feel fine. Why?"

Tali hesitated, worry in her eyes.

"I don't know, it just didn't seem like you. And earlier, you were laughing…"

It dawned on Shepard. It did seem like he was acting a bit insane.

"Oh! No, I was laughing because hearing the krogan argue with the VI seemed funny. Me killing him like that is definitely not funny. I'm not insane, Tali."

Tali let out a short breath, and smiled weakly.

"Ok, just try not to do that again."

Shepard sheathed his blade, and planted a kiss on the top of Tali's visor, and smiled back down at her.

"Ok, I promise I won't do that again. I'll just shoot them instead."

Tali nodded briefly.

"Good, shooting is so much cleaner than… that."

She pointed at the krogan corpse, it's body twitching slightly, the pool of blood expanding. Shepard rubbed the back of his neck. _It does look pretty brutal…_

The VI, which had been silent this entire time, suddenly spoke.

"ExoGeni corporation reminds all staff that use of weaponry is forbidden on the company premises. Please attempt to refrain from discharging any weapons on company property."

Tali let out a curious noise.

"The VI is more worried about my gun that the krogan you just split open with a knife?"

Shepard shrugged.

"It's a VI. Probably doesn't have a runtime for a situation like this."

He turned to the VI, and extended his arm, the palm of his hand facing the VI. The ID card of Elizabeth hung from his wrist, and the VI glanced at it quickly, speaking again.

"Welcome back, Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham. What can I do for you?"

Shepard decided to get straight to the point.

"What information was the last… user attempting to get?"

"Fetching data. The previous user was attempting to access details on the study of Subject Species 37, the Thorian."

Shepard's eyes widened with interest.

"Tell me everything you told the krogan."

"I was unable to provide the previous user with any relevant data. Aside from lacking proper access, there has been no new data available on Species 37."

What the VI said next chilled Shepard to the bones.

"All sensors monitoring the observation post in Zhu's Hope have been inactive for several cycles."

"Wait what? The Thorian is in Zhu's Hope? Why the hell is it there?"

The VI paused, as it attempted to find a suitable answer.

"It is housed in an underground complex in Zhu's Hope. It was the only area deemed fit for the Thorian, due to its size."

Shepard cast a worried glance around the room, connecting with Garrus and Tali who reciprocated it.

"Tell me everything you know about the Thorian."

"The Thorian is a simple plant life-form that exhibits a sentient behavior uncommon with other flora. Through dispersion and the eventual inhalation of spores, it can infect and control other organisms, including with humans."

Shepard nearly burst with surprise.

"What?! Are you telling me ExoGeni has been testing the Thorian on the colonists of Zhu's Hope?"

The VI continued as if it had not heard Shepard.

"The Zhu's Hope control group has yielded interesting results. Before sensors went offline, almost 85% of all test subjects were infected."

"Holy hell..."

Shepard planted a hand on his forehead, and glanced back to see Garrus's stricken facial expression. Tali spoke, her voice full of worry.

"Shepard, we have to go back to Zhu's Hope. The rest of the crew is there."

Shepard shook his head.

"No time. I'm going to comm them."

Shepard opened up his omni-tool, attempting to contact Kaidan. Instead, all he got was static. He tried the _Normandy _next, but got nothing but static again.

"Damn it, the geth are jamming communications. Come on, we got to move fast, and get communications back up. We have to warn Kaidan and the rest."

* * *

_Normandy Dock_

Joker was in the pilot's seat, just like he always was. He was having another go at Galaga, trying to beat his highscore, when suddenly a blip showed up just outside of the _Normandy._ He pushed the screen away, and focused on the blip, a frown spreading across his face. He accessed the ships external cameras, and brought one about to view the entrance to the airlock. A lone colonist was there, but he could see more in the back, running quickly towards the door. Suddenly, the colonist banged its arms against the door, and the thud was audible from within the ship.

Joker glanced over his shoulder worriedly, and initiated lockdown. More thuds and loud bangs followed, and Joker turned his attention back to the camera. More colonists joined, and they began to beat on the door at a fast and dangerous pace. They were liable to begin breaking bones, throwing themselves at the hard metal like that. Joker sat back in his seat, and attempted to comm Shepard. No response. He tried to comm Kaidan. No response. He let out a worried breath.

"I sure hope you guys get back here soon…"

* * *

_Zhu's Hope_

Kaidan and his squad had finished everything. They had got the water back on, returned with a couple of new power cells, and a dead varren alpha. What they didn't expect though, was the mass of colonists to become violent. They were currently holed up in a prefab, the door emitting harsh screeching sounds from nails coursing down the metal and dull thuds from limbs crashing against it. When Kaidan had seen them go hostile, he told them to not fire upon them. The colonists were unarmed after all. The only ones with weapons were located on the outskirts.

Kaidan was currently seated in a chair, his head in his hands. Liara was pacing nervously, fear in her eyes. Ashley was watching the door vigilantly. She didn't want to kill any colonists, but she would if she had too. Wrex was agitated, and paced angrily. Unlike Ashley, he wanted to kill something.

Kaidan attempted to comm Shepard again, but only got static. He sighed, and frowned. _What the hell is happening? I hope you're still out there, Shepard. We need some help…_

* * *

_ExoGeni HQ_

"What the hell is this? It looks like some kind of altar."

They had progressed quickly in the base, gunning down geth and even some krogan with relative ease. They were currently level with the gigantic metal claws that were latched on to the side of the buildings, when they ran into two geth who were on their knees in a praying position. He gunned them down with Tali and Garrus, and glanced curiously at the bright orb they were worshipping.

"The geth are AI. It's quite possible they could believe in a higher power like organics."

Tali spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well… that's just weird. Let's go kill some more."

Shepard lead the way up some steps, when they ran into more claws. This time, there were armed geth here, a good 5 or 6 of them, but nothing too difficult, like a Juggernaut or Prime. A short walkway was placed along a wall, along with several terminals scattered about on the lower floor. Tali quickly walked over to the only geth terminal, and began to download/hack it. Shepard watched curiously, waiting for Tali to spill the beans.

"Well? Find anything interesting?"

Tali hummed in a troubled tone.

"Yes, apparently, ExoGeni was on cohorts with a group called Cerberus. They have a lab of sorts on this planet called Ontarom. Might be worthwhile to check it out."

Shepard nodded.

"Cerberus? That's a human mythology, so it might be a human splinter group. Might check it out after this."

Tali stepped away from the terminal, and followed Shepard up the short catwalk. The area was split into two by a large set of barricades, and there was actually two claws in this room, each one placed in a large open square, as if it was a door or window of sorts. Down below, where the second claw was, more geth terminals were scattered about, and another pack of geth, this time with a Juggernaut, was present.

Shepard pulled out his SR, and placed in on the railing of the catwalk, his rifle in a firm position. He aimed directly at the Juggernaut, his crosshair highlighted on its flashlight. He squeezed the trigger, once twice. The Juggernaut's flashlight popped, and it crumpled to the ground, white synthetic fluid leaking out. The remaining geth were immediately alert, and the ensuing firefight was more difficult because of the angling. Nonetheless, they were wiped out, and Shepard and TDextro suffered minor injuries.

As they stepped down into the room, Tali again walked over to another geth terminal, and began to extract data from it. This time, she audibly gasped, and Shepard, who had been staring at the giant claw thoughtfully, rushed over.

"What is it?"

But Tali didn't need to say anything. Shepard read what was on the terminal, and let out a soft whistle.

"That's not good. We have to stop that. We can't let the geth set up an invasion size force in the Armstrong Nebula."

Tali nodded quickly, still shocked at this abrasive tactic from the geth. She stepped away from the terminal and watched Shepard walk over to a different one, this one human. There was a note attached to it.

"Don't apply too much pressure, or too little. This damn door is busted to hell, and only works in a specific amount of pressure."

Shepard murmured the words softly, and glanced at the console again. It held several buttons, and apparently, it controlled the window shutters, which were solid stone/metal. If he could get just the right amount of pressure, he could close them and slice the claws in half. He glanced back and forth between the claws and the console, and muttered quietly.

"Worth a shot."

He began to push several buttons, attempting to get it. After several minutes of careful decision making, he pushed one final button, and a loud siren rang out once. The window shutters smashed down, cutting the claws cleanly. As the claws were sliced, the geth ship dropped fractionally, the other claws holding it in place temporarily. However, it was too much strain, and the entire ship fell, crashing down into the surface hundreds of feet below.

"I hope there were a lot of them on that ship, the bosh'tets."

Tali spoke bitterly, with an ounce of satisfaction in her voice. Shepard patted her lightly on the back, and opened up his comm. This time, with the geth ship gone, he got a clear channel open.

"Commander! Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me Joker. I need you to contact Kaidan and the rest and tell them to get out of Zhu's Hope. The colonists are being infected."

Joker's sarcastic tone told him he already knew.

"Yeah, I know. Their banging on the airlock door now. You need to get here fast, Shepard, we need the relief."

"Don't worry; I'm on my way back."

Shepard disconnected, and jogged back towards where they had passed the blue energy field. This time, however, the energy field was gone, and the way clear. He passed through the door, and around a large piece of broken machinery, to find a smaller doorway, with Elizabeth Baynham standing in its frame. As she saw them approach, she spoke in a relieved tone.

"There you are! We should get out of here. I don't think this place is safe."

Shepard walked up to her, and crossed his arms, a stern look on his face.

"You have some explaining to do, Research Assistant. You knew more about the Thorian than you let on."

"I- I was afraid. I wanted to stop the tests, but they threatened me, told me I'd be next. When the geth attacked, I stayed behind to send a message to Colonial Affairs. I tried to tell them where the Thorian was, but the power cut before I could send the message."

She glanced down at her feet, and shook her head.

"I- I never wanted this to happen."

Shepard's face softened, and he spoke softly.

"You did what you could. I can't condemn you for trying to do something right. I'll help them if you can tell me where the Thorian is."

"It's in an underground chamber in Zhu's Hope. The colonists put a freighter on top of the entrance just before the geth attacks."

Shepard nodded his head lightly.

"That's why the freighter was there…"

The words were murmured softly. He glanced back up at Lizbeth, and spoke again.

"Why don't you come with us? I can drop you off with your mother before we go back to Zhu's Hope."

Lizbeth nodded.

"Ok, sounds… good."

Shepard walked through the now unblocked door, and past the hole they had jumped down when they first entered. Surprisingly enough, or maybe not surprising at all, the Mako was still parked there. Everyone piled in, with Lizbeth taking a seat in the passenger area. Shepard revved the engine, and roared down the prothean skyway, back towards Zhu's Hope, and more importantly, the Thorian.

* * *

**A/N**

**Review. **

**Keelah Se'lai.**


	24. Chapter 23: Feros: The Thorian

**A/N**

**Ok, so a viewer pointed this out to me, and I thought I should clarify. I'm not creating my Shepard with the Mass Effect's morality system in mind. I'm creating him purely how I see him, and I even added some of my own personal traits into there. Just wanted to clarify for anyone else who was curious. (Thanks to Shadow 3109 for pointing that out.)**

* * *

_Chapter 23: Feros: The Thorian_

The Mako was silent as it cruised down the skyway, the situation too tense for idle talk. Afterall, an entire colony was being brainwashed by a sentient plant life-form. They reached the tower that held the ExoGeni survivor crew at the bottom, and they began to spiral down. As they did, a voice, crackling with static, sounded out in the Mako, startling them slightly.

"… anybody. Is anyone picking this up?"

The voice was distinctly female, and was quickly followed by a more irritated male voice.

"Get away from that radio!"

Lizbeth glanced about nervously between the other occupants.

"What was that all about?"

No one knew, so no one answered, leaving Lizbeth to her anxious thoughts. A few seconds passed, and they were nearing the bottom floor when the radio chatter sounded out again.

"{static}… This is Juliana Baynham of Feros colony. Please help us…"

They just hit the bottom floor when the voice cut off, and Lizbeth cried out.

"That's my mom. Stop. Stop the rover."

Shepard complied, an uneasy feeling in his gut. The vehicle slowed to a stop, just parallel to the hideout of the ExoGeni refugees. Lizbeth was the first out, throwing the hatch open and leaping out of the car. Shepard watched her go, that uneasy feeling growing heavier, and he chased after her.

"Lizbeth, wait!"

Tali and Garrus both followed, sensing the situation was becoming rather tense among the ExoGeni people. Lizbeth ran down the ramp with Shepard and Team Dextro following up. At the bottom, they all crouched behind some crates, concealing themselves for the moment. Lizbeth, however, walked right out into the open, her mother and Jeong speaking intently.

"You can't do this, Jeong!"

Her voice was determined, and somewhat shocked.

Jeong was pacing back and forth in an agitated manner, and he raised his hands to his head.

"Everyone shut up! Let me think!"

Luckily for Lizbeth, there was a convenient crate placed on the rampway, and she took cover behind it. She glanced over to Shepard, and asked in a terse voice.

"What's going on?"

Suddenly, an ExoGeni security officer walked up behind Juliana, and began to roughly restrain her, whilst Jeong shouted out orders.

"Get her out of here!"

Lizbeth felt an anger rise up in her, overtaking the rationality of her being. She stood up, and yelled out to Jeong.

"Get away from her, you son of a bitch!"

Shepard glanced accusingly at Lizbeth, but kept hidden with Tali and Garrus, wanting to see how this played out before acting.

As Lizbeth spoke, her mother glanced towards the voice, and a relieved expression crossed her face. She broke free of the officer, and ran to meet her daughter, embracing her tightly. Jeong immediately became even more defensive and on edge, calling out to the hidden trio.

"Damn it! Come out where I can see you! All of you!"

Shepard stood up slowly from behind the crate, and propped his hands up in an unarmed gesture. He walked out into the open and in front of Jeong, with Tali and Garrus in tow.

As Jeong saw Shepard, he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Hah, Shepard. Damn it! I knew it was too much to hope the geth would kill you."

Jeong let out a mischievous chuckle.

"I found out some interesting facts about you in the ExoGeni database. I know how you were instrumental in stopping the Skyllian Blitz. There's no need for this to get bloody."

Shepard crossed his arms, a sneer on his face._ Coward._

"Not this time, Jeong. You need to back down and let them go."

Jeong nervously swallowed, and continued speaking.

"You don't understand. It's not that easy. Communications are back up. ExoGeni wants this place purged."'

Lizbeth cut in here, her tone rude and abrasive.

"This is a human colony, Jeong. You can't just re-purpose us."

Jeong let out a whining sneer, and turned to Lizbeth, who had broken from her embrace with Juliana.

"It's not just you. There's something for more valuable than a few colonists."

A snarl escaped Shepard's lips, and he took a step forward angrily, a finger pointed at Jeong. He dully noticed that some of the ExoGeni guards had their guns fixed on him now.

"More valuable than the lives of people? Are you so keen on studying the Thorian that you are willing to be responsible for the consequences? Do the lives of people matter so little to you? What if you had a family in that colony? A child, or a loved one? Would you still be so willing to purge this place?! Huh?!"

Shepard had practically shouted at Jeong as he ended. Jeong was flustered, his mind processing the situations Shepard had proposed. His eyes were darting back and forth, and he glanced back up at Shepard hesitantly.

Meanwhile, Juliana voiced out her question.

"The what?"

Lizbeth turned to her mother and answered.

"It's a telepathic life-form living under Zhu's Hope. It's taking control of the colonists there. ExoGeni knew all along."

Shepard grunted softly, the hand next to his knife/sidearm twitching slightly.

"Right, there's also that. I should shut down your company for the vile experiments you performed here."

Juliana turned to face Jeong, a shocked look on her face, replaced quickly with conviction.

"You won't get away with this Jeong."

Jeong sneered at Juliana.

"So you keep saying. But who's going to miss a few colonists?"

Shepard growled deeply in reply.

"And nobody will miss you either after I put a bullet through you."

Jeong's face paled, but he tried to bluster through it.

"Hah, you won't do it. My security would gun you down before you even drew a gun."

Shepard glanced all around the area, taking note of each officer. He saw every one of them was nervous, probably never having been in a live firefight. His hand strayed down to his pistol, the hand already formed around the grip. When he spoke, he spoke loud enough for every guard to hear.

"Are you loyal to this man in front of me; are you willing to lay down your life for this man? How many of you even know when his birthday is, or how old he is? How many of you would rather get off this planet alive than dead with my bullet through your chest?"

The security guards all glanced around at each other, before they all looked towards one specific man, whom they considered superior. He was an older man, but still not old enough for retirement. He stared hard at Shepard, and holstered his weapon, replying for everyone else.

"Nay, sonny. It's not worth dyin for."

All the guards holstered their weapons, and suddenly disconnected from the conflict, instead focusing on helping any survivors or keeping lookout. Shepard let out a humorless chuckle, and glared needles at Jeong.

"See? You have no friends here, Jeong. You are a monster. You have no regard for the loss of life and you would rather let hundreds die than expose some company secret you have no personal intake in."

Shepard drew the pistol, and aimed it at Jeong's skull. Juliana's face was grim, and she knew what was coming next, but she didn't intervene. _Commander Shepard is right. He is a monster._ Lizbeth turned away, her face pale at the prospect of what was coming next.

Jeong looked down the barrel of the pistol, and desperately looked behind it towards Tali and Garrus, trying to find some way out of this. They just stared coolly back, and Jeong knew he would die.

He began to plead for his life.

"No, please, don't kill me, I can change!"

Shepard shook his head.

"No, you can't."

He squeezed the trigger, and a single shot reverberated throughout the room. Shepard grimaced distastefully, hating the fact that he had executed an unarmed man. But the man was vile, and held no regard for the loss of life. But it didn't make him feel any better.

He sighed, and holstered his gun, turning back to Lizbeth and Juliana. Juliana just nodded grimly, and Lizbeth was still pale, and Juliana posed a question.

"So what now, Commander?"

Shepard grimaced as he thought about the even more distasteful work he would have to do now. He would be forced to gun down innocent colonists.

"Back to Zhu's Hope to find out why the geth want the Thorian… and to… cleanse the colony of its inhabitants."

His voice was dejected and defeated. He would be forced to gun down people he had just protected not an hour ago. Lizbeth also shared the Commanders distress.

"There's got to be another way!"

Juliana put a hand to her chin thoughtfully, and an idea sprung to mind.

"I think there is. You could safely use a nerve agent to neutralize the colonists."

Lizbeth suddenly perked up, and offered out a suggestion.

"Like a gas grenade!"

Shepard saw the silver lining and sprung for it.

"I'll do it. I don't want to have their deaths over my head."

"We had an insectide we used in the labs that contained traces of Tetraclopine, a neuromuscular degenerator. If their nervous systems are already weakened it may act as a paralyzing agent."

Shepard had already made up his mind, but Tali voiced her opinion anyways.

"You could install it in your grenade launcher, and put them out safely."

Shepard nodded slowly, a hand cupped around his chin.

"Sounds good. Hand it over; I'll save as many as I can."

Juliana handed him a phylactery of sorts, with green substance filled within them. Shepard brought out his grenades, and filled each one with a little bit of the insecticide. Once he finished, he returned the phylactery to Juliana, and turned around to leave the room.

He paced up the ramp, with Tali and Garrus following closely behind. They piled into the Mako, and drove off towards Zhu's Hope, where the task of incapacitating the colonists and killing the Thorian lay ahead of them.

* * *

"What the hell is that?"

Shepard slowed down as they neared the garage that connected them to Zhu's Hope. A small gray figure was bundled on the ground next to the door of the garage, in the corner near the edge of the skyway. Shepard left his seat and jumped out of the Mako, drawing his gun as he did. He watched the bundle cautiously, and noted that Tali and Garrus were also ready.

As they got closer, within 4 feet, the bundle slowly stood up and unraveled itself, revealing its thin gray body. It looked emaciated, as if it hadn't been fed in weeks. Its jaw hung open slackly, and its head tilted at a deep angle. It turned to face them, and an unearthly moan escaped it, and it started shambling quickly towards them. Shepard immediately filled it with bullet holes, and it dropped, its bland, colorless blood splattering the floor and some of the door.

Shepard looked at it with disgust, and nudged it with his boot, making sure it was dead. Tali let out a choked gag, and turned away, coughing hard. Garrus also blanched, and began retching. The body was starting to leave a horrible odor behind. Shepard noticed it, but he fought through the urge to puke. As they both recovered from their gagging, the garage door suddenly opened, and the floor just in front of the now open garage door was filled with those strange 'creepers'.

There were about 15 of them, each of them bundled up on the floor. Suddenly, a hail of bullets flew towards them, most of them either hitting nothing or hitting shields. They backed up out of range, and climbed back into the Mako. As the creepers began to unravel, Shepard floored the gas pedal, and smeared the gray creatures against the road and Mako, shouting out a command as he did.

"I don't want any dead colonists. They barely had any proper weapons, so let me concuss them. No one else needs to die today."

Once he finished plastering the creepers everywhere, he turned his attention to the pitter-patter of fire hitting the Mako. Shepard jumped out, and immediately ran straight at them in a full sprint. He reached the upper level where they were, and began to backpedal, firing off a grenade right at their feet. He pulled the trigger once more and the grenade exploded in a cloud of green gas, the colonists dropping instantly.

Shepard paused momentarily, before he gestured to Tali and Garrus. They both jumped out, and proceeded over to Shepard. They glanced at the inanimate bodies, and Tali walked over to check for pulses.

"They're still alive Shepard. Looks like its working."

Shepard let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and smiled in relief. He would be lying if he said he didn't have doubts about it. But now that he knew it worked, he was hell-bent on saving every damn colonist.

They proceeded to the elevator, and as they got in, a radio suddenly cracked loudly in their comm, and the voice was patchy as it spoke.

"Comm- Shepard ar- ere? We ne- tance!"

Shepard could barely recognize the voice as Kaidan, and he answered eagerly.

"Kaidan, I'm back at Zhu's Hope. Stay put, and do not, I repeat, do not fire upon the colonists. I can handle them without dishing out death. Keep everyone alive until I can deal with the problem."

"Ay- mander!"

The comm cut, and Shepard fingered his rifle anxiously, scenarios blaring through his mind over and over again. On Elysium, he hadn't been able to save everyone. But there were thousands there. Here, there were hundreds. And Shepard was going to save each and every one of them.

"I think that's all of them, Shepard. Nice job, I think you incapacitated every colonist."

Shepard had a huge smile on his face, and his posture was relaxed for the first time since finding out about the Thorian. They were standing just in front of the freighter, and all around them thorian creepers lay dead, and colonists sleeping. Shepard had managed to knock out every single colonist with a precise grenade toss, and he was quite pleased with how it turned out.

He stowed his grenade launcher, in an amazingly good mood. He walked over to the terminal that controlled the lift, and proceeded to unblock the entrance to the Thorian. The freighter piece was lifted skyward, and he walked over to the now revealed staircase, when footsteps sounded behind him. He spun around quick, drawing his sidearm at the same time. However, he saw someone he was actually fond on in the colony.

Fai Dan was walking with a slow gait, unsteady in his movements. His arm clutched his stomach, and his other held a pistol, but not towards them. As he approached, he spoke, and his voice was filled with pain and stress.

"I tried to fight it, but it gets in your head. You can't imagine the pain."

Fai Dan must have been incredibly strong-willed to have resisted the Thorian for so long. Fai Dan continued walking, until he was almost in front of the staircase.

"I was supposed to be their leader… These people trusted me."

His voice was filled with agony and guilt. Shepard wanted to help the man badly, but he couldn't. If he succumbed, Fai Dan could kill him. Suddenly, Fai Dan raised the pistol to face Shepard, but Shepard didn't draw his own. Tali and Garrus drew their weapons, but Shepard stopped them from firing.

"It wants me to stop you… but I… I won't…"

Shepard looked down at his feet, his hands clenched. He hated the Thorian. He hated it with every fiber in his being.

"You don't have to, Fai Dan."

Fai Dan shook his head, and willed his arm to point the gun to his own head. His voice was strong now, defying the Thorian completely. Shepard balled his hands into fists tighter than before, and locked eyes with Fai Dan.

"I won't!"

A gunshot roared out. The sound of a body hitting the floor reached Shepard's ears. He was still staring ahead, where a moment ago he had been staring into Fai Dan's eyes. He let out a few short breaths, feeling the uncontrollable anger rising up in him. He calmed himself slowly, and bent down on one knee. He picked up the sidearm Fai Dan had, and stowed it away. He would keep it, as a reminder of the man who Shepard had great respect for. When he turned back to the group, Tali was silently looking at Fai Dan, and Garrus was gaping slightly in admiration.

When he spoke, it was in a dark, foreboding tone.

"Come on. We have some payback to serve."

* * *

Shepard brushed past them, and drew his AR. His temper hadn't exploded, but he was in a murderous and bloodthirsty mood, and only one thing would satisfy that, and that would be the blood of the Thorian.

They descended down the stairs as it curved back and forth, sending them deeper underground. Eventually, the stairs, stopped ,and a massive spherical chamber was presented in front of them. A large bulbous mass was in the center, but it was mostly obscured by the low ceiling.

Tali spoke out softly.

"Ok, now we just need to figure out what this… Thorian… Keelah what is that?"

They had a clear view of the fleshy orb, and it was monstrous. It secreted green fluid everywhere from its body, and tendrils of flesh stuck out into the chamber, holding itself up from all different angles. Its mouth was an array of tentacles, and it reeked of foul and rotten odors. Shepard took a few steps forward, while Tali and Garrus stared in mixed emotions.

The Thorian leaned its mouth down, and a nasty squelching sound ensued, and a thin green body slid out. It was an asari, but it had a skin pigment never before seen. It was green, instead of blue or purple. It was wearing what looked like asari commando armor, but when it looked at Shepard, all he saw was hate. He was not facing an asari; he was facing the Thorian, who had created a clone of an asari.

"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression! A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to digest or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!"

Shepard curled his lip in disgust. _Fuck you._

"What did Saren want from you?"

Surprisingly enough, The Thorian told him.

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made. Then, cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!"

Shepard sighed exasperatedly. He was going to kill this damn thing anyway. Screw the rest of the pleasantries.

Shepard leveled his AR, and gunned down the asari without a second thought. She collapsed on the floor, before her body dissipated into nothingness. Shepard fired round after round into the Thorian, but nothing seemed to hurt it. He grunted frustratedly, and stopped firing. Tali and Garrus, however, were being more productive. They both found a doorway that revealed a large pod of sorts, tinged with red as if it were tender.

"Shepard! How about you come over here and shoot this thing?"

Tali's voice was toying slightly, but Shepard wasn't in the mood for it. Tali mentally chided herself for making a terrible joke at a terrible time.

Shepard strode over, and leveled his AR, firing a multitude of rounds into it. Eventually, it popped, and some fluid flowed out, while the Thorian screeched angrily. Shepard smiled grimly. There was a short drop onto the lower level, and he could already see Thorian creepers lying about, no doubt hundreds of them in total. And there were probably more pods to shoot too. It was going to be a long fight.

Shepard and Team Dextro had destroyed the next two pods relatively easy, but now it was getting hard. In addition to the creepers, the Thorian spawned a new asari clone, each one getting stronger than the last. The battle was starting to go downhill, and there progress was slowing. If Shepard had to guess, 2 more pods were left, and they were already in a sorry state.

They were currently on the third floor, with a thorian pod in a side room above a massive pile of rubble. In between them though, was a huge array of creepers. They began to unravel and flood themselves through the narrow doorway, where the resulting gunfire would decimate them. However, they weren't getting out unharmed. The creepers could project this vile acid, and it has taken its toll of them. Garrus's armor was melted in multiple places, along with Shepard. Tali had to take extreme precautions not to get hit by any.

However, she bore claw marks from when they had gotten to close. Luckily, none of the crews injuries were fatal, but they were irritating. After a long bout of gunfire and explosive grenades, the room was finally cleared, and they were ready to destroy the fourth pod. It exploded into fluid, and the Thorian screeched again, more agony and pain in its voice.

They went down the other side of the pile of rubble, and Tali was the first to walk out of the opposite door. She had no idea that another asari clone was a few meters away, and charged with biotic attacks. She turned to face the asari, but she had already launched a biotic attack at her. Time slowed down. The blue missile approached slowly, and she tried to get out of the way, only to find her body moving slower. Then, a pair of hands roughly shoved her aside, and she stumbled out of the way. Time resumed back at its normal place. A body was suddenly sent flying back and crashed into the wall, going slack.

It was Shepard.

Immediately, Tali turned to face the asari clone, her body seething with fury. She pumped shotgun blast after shotgun blast into the asari, her body becoming more and more mangled with each buckshot. The asari collapsed on the ground, her body riddled with holes. Tali's rage subsided, suddenly replaced with fear, and she slid back over to the slumped body against the wall.

"Shepard? Shepard! Keelah please no…"

Her voice was desperate as she fumbled with his helmet, her hands shaking with fear. She lifted the helmet off and threw it off to the side. Garrus was standing watching, glancing back and forth between Shepard and the hallway.

Tali fingers were eagerly looking for a pulse, and after searching for a few seconds, began to panic when she couldn't find one. On the verge of breaking down, a slight thump was felt on her finger, and she let out a huge sigh of relief. Tears slid down her face as she realized he wasn't dead, just unconscious. She slumped down next to him, her emotions overcoming her slightly. She curled up into a ball, and began to cry harder, when she heard hoarse coughing right next to her.

When she glanced up, she saw Shepard staring back at her, and he whispered quietly to her.

"Hey now, stop crying. We're still on a mission, and I plan to see it through."

He began to stand up, a huge groan of pain escaping him, and Tali helped support him up. Shepard placed an arm across Tali, and his back was in massive pain. Garrus turned back to face Shepard, and his mandibles twitched slightly. When Shepard spoke, his voice was tense.

"You're leading the way, Garrus. I can still shoot, but not much else."

Garrus nodded, and began to pace across the empty hallway, his gun ready to fire. Shepard had his sidearm drawn with the arm not around Tali, and despite his pain, was still a steady shot. They fought their way through several more thorian creepers, before they came to what Shepard hoped was the final pod. Garrus poured rounds into it, until it popped, and the Thorian let out another unearthly shriek.

This time, the entire chamber shook slightly, and the supports that were holding up the Thorian collapsed, and it fell down the pit, its screech slowly dying out. Shepard sighed, wincing as he felt the pain it caused him. There was another, smaller pod on the wall, and it split open suddenly, spewing forth another asari.

Shepard, prepared for the worst, was about to begin firing when he noticed this asari had purple skin. He withheld his gunfire, and waited for the asari to stand. As she stood, she glanced at herself in happiness and relief.

"I'm free. I'm free. I… I supposed I should thank you for releasing me."

Shepard narrowed his eyes at the woman.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Shiala. I serve—served Matriarch Benezia. When she allied with Saren, so did I. Benezia foresaw the influence Saren would have. She joined him to help guide him down a gentler path. But Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her way."

Shepard shook his head at what Shiala was implying.

"Are you saying Saren can control minds?"

"Benezia underestimated Saren. As did I. We came to believe in his cause and goals. The strength of his influence is troubling."

Garrus spoke up at this point.

"She tried to manipulate Saren. But in the end, her plan backfired."

Shepard still couldn't grasp it.

"Asari Matriarchs are among the most intelligent and powerful beings in the galaxy. How could one fall under Saren's control?"

Shiala took a deep breath, and continued.

"Saren has a vessel. An enormous warship unlike anything I've ever seen. He calls it… Sovereign. It can dominate the minds of his followers. They become indoctrinated to his will. The process is subtle. It can take days, weeks. But it is always absolute."

Shiala glanced down in embarrassment.

"I was a willing slave when Saren brought me to this world. He needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian, learn its secrets. Saren offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between him and the Thorian."

Shepard shook his head in disgust.

"All the signs of a bad leader. He was quick to betray his own allies."

Shiala smirked smugly.

"He was also quick to betray the Thorian, too. After he had what he wanted, he ordered the geth to destroy any evidence it ever existed. Saren knows you are going after the Conduit. He knows you are following his steps. He attacked the Thorian so you could not gain the Cipher."

Shepard cocked his head in a question.

"What's the Cipher? And why did Saren need it?"

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions, but they are unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, their history, their very existence. The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched them and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it."

"So the Thorian taught Saren how to think like a Prothean? How?"

Shiala hesitated, before continuing.

"The Cipher is the very essence of the Protheans. It cannot be described or explained. It would be like describing color to a creature with no eyes. To understand, you have to access endemic ancestral memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean generations. I sensed this ancestral memory—the Cipher—when I melded with the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge cannot be taught; it simply exists."

Shepard had a sour feeling all of a sudden. Something was trying to click in his head, and it finally came to him after a few seconds of concentration.

"Mind melding…"

Shiala nodded, somewhat surprised with the fact he knows about that.

"Yes, I can gift you this knowledge by merging our minds."

Shepard felt Tali shift uncomfortably, and leaned down to whisper to her.

"What's wrong?"

Tali paused, and said in almost a whiny voice.

"Does she have to merge your minds…? I would prefer not having another woman in your thoughts…"

"I don't like this anymore than you do… but we need this…"

Tali huffed fussily, and crossed her arms.

"Fine… just don't let her linger too long."

Shepard laughed softly.

"I'm detecting some jealousy."

Tali rolled her eyes.

"Oh just get it over with, you bosh'tet."

Shepard glanced at Shiala, and nodded to her.

"Try to relax, Commander. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your organic shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another."

Shiala began taking steps towards Shepard, continuing her speech. Shepard unwrapped his arm around Tali, and lightly guided her away. He felt his grasp of reality fading; he felt his body begin to relax.

"Every action sends ripples throughout the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit."

They were very close now, and Tali was feeling uneasy, and jealous. It was unreasonable, but it didn't stop her from being jealous anyways. Shepard was staring deeply into Shiala, and her into him.

"We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Commander."

Suddenly, she lowered her eyes, only to bring them back up. Her eyes were now pitch black, deep and eternal, a never ending pool of dark.

"Embrace eternity!"

Shepard's body stiffened for a second, before his body went slack, and he fell to his knees, the flood of knowledge almost overwhelming him. For Tali and Garrus it was just a second, for Shepard, it was years and years of knowledge. Tali slid down next to Shepard, concern etched on her face. Shiala began speaking again, still staring straight ahead.

"I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren. The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now."

Beads of sweat poured down his face, and his breath was ragged. Slowly, he stood up, Tali supporting him once more. However, his pain was not from his back now, but his head. It was throbbing worse than after Eden Prime. When Tali spoke, her voice was full of concern.

"Shepard? Are you alright?"

Shepard just nodded dully.

"Yes… it made more sense… but it's still too confusing…"

Shiala spoke again.

"You have been given a great gift: the experience of an entire people. It will take time for your mind to process the information."

Garrus spoke up at this point.

"We should get back to the _Normandy._ Have Chakwas run some tests on you."

Shepard nodded lightly, his mind still in turmoil.

Shiala began to remark, in a somewhat guilty tone.

"I am sorry if you have suffered, but there was no ther way. You needed the Cipher. In time, it will help you understand the visions from the beacon."

Shepard had a lump in his throat, and he forced it down before speaking.

"And what will you do now?"

Shiala hesitated slightly, shame evident in her voice.

"If you will allow it, I would like to stay here with the colonists. They have suffered greatly, and I have played a role in their suffering. I wish to make amends."

Shepard nodded.

"That is very noble of you. Take good care of them. They lost their leader today, and they need someone to follow."

Shiala smiled, and bowed her head towards Shepard.

"Thank you Commander. May fortune smile upon you."

She walked past Shepard, heading back towards the entrance back up to Zhu's Hope. They watched her go, and Shepard sighed, placing a hand on his head. He brushed his hair back, and breathed in through his nose. A long silence stretched out, and it began to become awkward when Shepard finally spoke.

"Let's go. I need a drink."

* * *

**A/N**

**Sorry if the writing sucked this chapter, there are probably a shit ton of typos and grammatical errors. I was sort of sleep-deprived as I wrote this.**

**Review. Keelah Se'lai.**


	25. Chapter 24: Feros Aftermath

**A/N**

**Well then… I feel this is slightly overdue. It's been like, what, a month? Anyways, had to reread my last chapter to make sure what I had planned was relevant. Hopefully my writing has gotten rusty during my extremely extended break.**

* * *

_Chapter 24: Feros Aftermath_

"Commander, I must insist that-"

"No, Chakwas. You should already know this about me. My crew comes first, above all else."

Chakwas glared at Shepard, and sighed with frustration, turning away from him. Shepard sighed, and lay down on the bed he was occupying. They had just gotten back from Feros, and were now confined to the medical bay until Dr. Chakwas told them otherwise. To his immediate left, Tali and Garrus both sat on med beds, Tali closest. Both of them were relatively fine, compared to Shepard. They only had minor scratches and wounds, and Tali had a small fever. Shepard, on the other hand, was bruised and battered, and had a headache that could split the _Normandy's _hull. But nonetheless, his crew always comes first.

Shepard closed his eyes, and focused on his breathing, his body slowly relaxing. He felt his tense muscles begin to loosen, and a soft sigh escaped his lips, as his body broke from its cast. A few minutes passed, voices floating throughout his consciousness. He heard Chakwas speaking with Tali, and her electronic voice responded back softly. Footsteps again, and this time, Garrus replied, the flanged voice of his friend ringing out slightly loud.

A few more short exchanges ensued between the Doctor and her patients, until she finally got to the most injured patient, Shepard. Chakwas walked over to where Shepard lay on the bed, his eyes closed, and the rise and fall of his chest strong, even if somewhat erratic. She folded her arms and cleared her throat loudly. Shepard popped open one eye, and looked up at Chakwas, then to his extreme left, making sure that both Tali and Garrus had been administered already. As he saw they had, he brought his body upwards, grunting as his sore body was forced to activity. He brought his legs over the edge into a sitting position, and looked up at Chakwas.

"Alright Doc, go ahead. On with your medical death traps and experiments."

Chakwas rolled her eyes, and began to gather the necessary items she would need to scan and, if need be, apply any salves or bandages.

"Please, Shepard, these "death traps" have saved many lives, and administered many wounds, including your own."

The soft glow of the Doctor's omni-tool lit up the small space between the two, the device careening across every inch of his body, making sure not to miss any injury.

"I know, I know. I'm glad you're here, Chakwas. You are the best field medical officer I've ever had."

Chakwas finished her scan, and made eye contact with Shepard, giving him one of her rare smiles.

"It's always a pleasure, Commander."

She drew out several applications of Medigel, prepping them for use, and relaying instructions to Shepard, Tali, and Garrus.

"Ok Shepard, I'm going to need you to remove your suit so I can apply the Medigel directly onto the bruised skin for the quickest healing. Tali, Garrus, your injuries were very minor, so you should be fine to return to your workstations. Also, Tali, your fever should clear up in about 36 hours."

Garrus nodded, and stood up on his feet, stretching out his limbs and rolling his neck.

"Alright, Thanks Doctor Chakwas."

Tali started slightly, and stood up, her head bowed slightly and her fingers intertwined.

"Oh erm… Thank you Doctor Chakwas…"

Garrus stepped past the congregate of people, and left the medbay, the door sliding shut behind him. Chakwas was too busy with her work she had not noticed that Tali hadn't left until Shepard mentioned it.

"Hey Doc, you still have a patient on here."

"Hmm?"

She glanced behind her and saw Tali standing beside her bed, her fingers twirling nervously.

"I was hoping that I could uh… stay here?"

She ended her sentence with a half-question. Chakwas pursed her lips thoughtfully, already knowing she would say yes.

She nodded slowly.

"Yes, I don't see why not."

She turned her attention back to her work, and Tali brought up a chair and sat on the opposite side of Chakwas. Shepard began to unhook and detach the parts of his armor, until he was sitting next to a small pile. All he had on now was his crew member shirt, sticking to his body due to sweat. She had never seen him unclothed before, and that was part of the reason she had wanted to stay. And because she liked spending time with Shepard.

"Shirt too doc?"

Chakwas nodded mutely.

Shepard peeled off the sweaty shirt, and placed it next to his pile of armor. He arched his upper body, getting a few pops from his spine and a grimace of pain at his sore muscles. He sighed and dropped his body back into its relaxed state.

A few minutes of silence passed, Tali admiring Shepard's physique, Shepard thinking about their discoveries on Feros, and Chakwas administering his wounds. After almost an hour, Chakwas finally stopped applying salves and poultices to Shepard's body, and sighed gratefully.

Shepard, lost in his thoughts, was brought back at the sound of Chakwas.

"All done then doc?"

Chakwas nodded, a hand cupping her chin.

"Yes, I do believe so. You will be sore for a few days, but that should be the extent of it."

Shepard smiled and stood up fast, breathing in deeply. It still hurt, but not as much as before. He gathered up his armor and sweaty clothing, and walked out of the medbay, calling out his thanks as he left.

"Thanks for the fixer-upper doc!"

Chakwas smiled amusedly, and sat back at her desk, recording her day's work into the ships medical logs. A dark blur flashed through her vision, trailing after Shepard. She paid no heed to it, instead focusing on her work yet again.

* * *

Shepard dropped his items onto the bed, and stared disdainfully at the sticky shirt. He picked it up with two fingers, and glared at it, trying to make it disappear, or make it clean again. Anything to make it less of what it is.

The sound of the door closing behind him caught his attention, and he turned around, dropping the shirt back onto the bed.

"Hey, what's up?"

Tali cocked her head at Shepard's human lingo, and he shook his head slightly.

"How can I help you?"

"Oh, I was wondering what you plan to do now… we're still docked at Feros, and all that information we got from the ExoGeni headquarters…"

Shepard brushed a hand through his hair, and sniffed quietly.

"Ah, right… Well first, I think we should go to…"

* * *

**A/N**

**Short chapter cause I have to warm myself up to writing long chapters again, plus cliffhangers are fun, right?  
**


	26. Chapter 25: Destination

_Chapter 25: Destination_

* * *

"Are you sure, Shepard? The geth massing in the Armstrong Nebula seems much larger."

Tali's voice carried a lot of doubt in it after hearing Shepard saying he wanted to visit Ontarom before the Armstrong Nebula.

"Yes, I'm positive. I plan on contacting Admiral Hackett and letting him know about it. He can get there, and either stop them, or hold them long enough for us to finish them. Plus, this "Cerberus" group seems like trouble. Especially considering what I received before we landed on Feros."

Tali cocked her head sideways, conveying her emotion of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Shepard sighed, and walked over to the table, taking a seat. Tali mimicked him, and took the opposite seat, leaning forward in anticipation of what Shepard was going to share.

"Before we landed, Joker contacted me, and told me he intercepted a heavily encrypted message directed to me. I took it in here, and it was Rear Admiral Kahoku. You remember him?"

Tali nodded.

"Yes… I do. That was Edolus."

Shepard nodded.

"Anyways, he contacted someone you are familiar with, the Shadow Broker."

Tali let out a noise of distaste upon hearing the Shadow Broker, but kept her tongue in check.

"He purchased information pertaining to Cerberus, and he told me everything he knew about it in his message. He said Cerberus used to be an Alliance black ops unit, total whiteout, everything they did was classified. He said they were hunting him now, and he said they were responsible for Edolus, and several other incidents where this happened. We have no idea where he is now, but if there is a Cerberus outpost on Ontarom, maybe we can find something on Kahoku if he's still alive. If not… then we can at least avenge him."

Tali leaned back into her seat, staring blankly into her lap, her fingers intertwining. Shepard stared hard at the tabletop, marring its smooth surface with his fingernail. Shepard sighed, and stood up, arching his back.

"I gotta go tell Joker our next destination. You should get some rest though. In fact, everyone should get some rest. Tell the Kaidan, Ashley, and Garrus that they have leave of duty, and can get some much needed R&R."

Shepard couldn't be sure, but he could sense the arched eyebrow, and the unspoken question.

"Rest and Relaxation."

Tali nodded, and stood up, stifling a yawn.

"Are you sure you want to go? I can go tell Joker for you."

Shepard smiled and shook his head.

"No, I can do this."

Tali nodded her head, and began to feel the wear and tear Feros had on her; She really was tired. Tali stepped out towards the door, Shepard following behind. They began to walk side by side, until they hit the elevator, where they went separate ways. Shepard walked up his left stairway, and Tali stepped into the elevator.

As the door closed, and Shepard disappeared around the corner, she slumped against the wall, and began to ponder worriedly. _Shepard said they were responsible for other incidents. Could it be they were responsible for… no, that's crazy. There's no way Cerberus did that too._ However, the doubt had already wormed its way into her mind. _But what if they did?_

* * *

"Joker."

The body in the pilot's seat stiffened suddenly, before relaxing with relief.

"Jesus, Commander, please. One day, you're going to give me a heart attack."

Shepard shook his head, and clapped a hand lightly on Joker's shoulder, taking note of his Vrolik Syndrome.

"I doubt that, Joker."

Now that the jokes were aside, Shepard became serious.

"Joker, I need you to plot a course to a planet called Ontarom in the Kepler Verge."

Joker looked up towards Shepard, a weird look plastered all over his face. He was about to make a smart remark, when he saw the look of Shepard's face. It was a look that would brook no lightheartedness.

"Aye Aye, Commander. What are you planning to find there?"

Shepard stared out of the _Normandy's _cockpit windows, the expansive blackness of space reaching as far as you can see, and further.

"It would be faster for everyone to hear it at once."

Shepard reached for a button on Joker's console, and hit the ship wide comm.

"Attention crew of the Normandy, this is Commander Shepard. We have concluded our business on Feros, and are now on our way to our next destination, which is the Kepler Verge. Once there, we will go to Ontarom where a Cerberus facility lies in wait. Most of you won't know what Cerberus is, so let me enlighten you. Before Feros, I was contacted by Rear Admiral Kahoku, the leader of the marine squad that was decimated on Edolus. This is the message he sent me."

Shepard began to transfer the audio message to the console so it could be broadcast to the entire ship. A few seconds later, the message began playing. Shepard could hear the exclaims of shock from the Alliance crew members, and the anger in others. The thought of an Alliance black ops operation which had total whiteout was close 20th century terrorism.

Footsteps could be heard approaching behind him, and he turned around to see Ashley and Kaidan approaching him fast. They stopped next to him, and stared at him with wide eyes, shocked at what their hearing. As the message concluded, Shepard opened the comm for himself again.

"There you have it. We're heading to Ontarom, where hopefully we can find some information of Kahoku, and find out what this Cerberus group is doing."

Shepard cut off the link, and turned to face Kaidan and Ashley.

"Are you kidding me, Skipper?"

"I wish I could say yes, but I can't."

Ashley slumped down on the floor, leaning against a supporting strut, her head in her hands. She couldn't believe that the Alliance, whom she has fully supported for years, would have something like this covered up.

Kaidan just sighed, and shook his head. He turned to leave, wanting some alone time to think about the information just shared.

Joker let out a long whistle.

"Wow, talk about messing up big time."

Joker turned to look back over his shoulder, and caught the death glare of Ashley. He paled slightly, and apologized.

"Sorry, force of habit."

Shepard crossed his arms, and glanced down at Ashley.

"Go get some rest, Ash. Your group didn't fare much better than mine, so we all need our rest."

Ashley stood up, her voice tired as she spoke.

"You got it, Skip."

Shepard looked back to Joker.

"Plot the course, Joker."

So caught up in the announcement, he forgot he had stopped extrapolating a course to Ontarom.

"Oh, right, sorry Commander."

Joker's fingers began to fly around the haptic interface, and Shepard turned back towards the CIC. As he passed by, he could hear the human crewmembers chatting amongst themselves, a lot of them expressing their distaste with the thought of Cerberus being covered up for so long.

Shepard paced down the stairs, and entered his cabin again, flopping down on the bed. He let out a huge sigh, and fell fast asleep, not even bothering to take off his boots.

His dreams turned sour with his usual nightmares and bad memories. But one nightmare stood out more than the others, and it was Akuze, but it was always the memory of Toombs' final moments. Every time it happened, he suddenly rushed back 10 minutes earlier, and it occurred again and again, like a broken record.

When Shepard woke up later, he would have no recollection of his dreams, but his thoughts would be obscured by the fear on Toombs face.

* * *

**A/N**

**Ohhhh snap, we're almost there.**


End file.
